History of Computers - IBM PC

By Alex Buckman

Introduction

IBM had recently been on the decline. Having to deal with lawsuits and other corporations, IBM had to make something new. On August 12, 1981, IBM announced the IBM PC at a press conference in New York. The IBM PC was IBM’s first successful entry into the microcomputer marketplace.

https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc25/pc25_intro.html

Overview

The IBM PC took twelve months to build, from planning to actually making it, which was faster than any other hardware product in IBM history . They did this by going to outside sellers for most of the parts, and outside software for the operating system and application software. Other than the BIOS chips, most every other component and piece of software comes from outside sources . This was outside the traditional boundaries of IBM, but it worked. While in production, this computer was kept under the code name “ACORN,” and it was kept highly classified . IBM went to little known Microsoft for the operating system, and they quickly created a version of QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System), which was sold alongside the IBM PC . The IBM PC ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel Processor 8808 microprocessor, and it came with 16 kilobytes of memory, which could be expanded to 256 kilobytes. It also came with 160-kilobyte floppy discs (one or two of them), along with an optional color monitor . Also included where the options for a printer, game adapter and application packages, as well as an application for text processing . This computer weighed about 25 pounds, which was much smaller than before . Compared to the earlier, room sized machines, which often took 60 people to run, this was a giant leap.

http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/IBMPC-1982.htm

Significance

This computer was very significant to the history of computers and modern day technology. First off, it coined the term PC for Personal Computers, a term commonly used today whenever speaking about computers. With its success, it turned personal computing into a market, and forced other companies to change their focuses. Since 2006, even Apple has followed IBM’s lead and embraced Intel CPUs. This computer was also a major turning point for Microsoft, launching it from a producer of computer programming languages into the world of Operating Systems. Who knows where Microsoft would be now, if not for those early deals? There is no doubt about the significance and contributions that the IBM PC made to the technological world.

External Links

https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/pc25/pc25_intro.html