History of Computers - IBM 650
Page created by: Jodi Rybarczyk
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The IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Data Processing Machine is the earliest ancestor of the personal computer. Compared to other available technology at the time, the IBM 650 was cheap, small, and user friendly. Highly popular, this machine became the world' s first mass-produced computer.
Contents
Overview
The IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Calculator was announced by International Business Machines in 1953. At this time, IBM asserted that the new processing machine would be "a vital factor in a familiarizing business and industry with the stored program principles." [2] The 650 was supposed to perform arithmetic, store data, process instructions and provide suitable read-write speeds at a reasonable cost by means of drum memory. The 650 stored data and instructions in the form of magnetized spots on the surface a rotating drum. The drum would cycle at 12,500 RPM and operate within the traditional punch card environment. [3]
The 650 was highly successful for variety of reasons. Priced at half a million dollars and physically able to fit in a single room, the 650 was already was cheap and compact. While the 650's drum memory may have been slower than other methods, it allowed for user-friendly and extremely reliable. The 650 contained a comprehensive error-detecting circuitry that allowed self-checking and eliminated the need for the secondary processing of cards for checking purposes. [4] IBM 650 sales far exceeded those of its original market forecast, and before the product retired, nearly 2,000 were sold, making it one of the most popular electronic products of the 1950s. [5]
Significance
The IBM 650 was the predecessor of the personal computer. The 650 popularized the concept of open shop programming and more tightly linked computer technology with business and industry. Thousands of people saw the benefit of using one's own, personal computer. The 650 additionally occupies an important place in the history of computers as the world's first mass-produced computer.
