Friends,
42 years ago, I was sitting with my wife in a coffee house in Burlington VT on vacation reading the Wall Street Journal where I read a full-page advertisement announcing the IBM personal computer.
August marks the 42nd anniversary of the introduction of the IBM PC, a computer that revolutionized the personal computing industry. The IBM PC was released on August 12, 1981, and it quickly became the standard for personal computers. It was the first personal computer to be widely adopted by businesses and consumers, and it spawned an entire industry of software and hardware developers.
The IBM PC was a significant departure from previous personal computers. It was based on the Intel 8088 microprocessor, which was much faster than the processors used in other personal computers at the time. It also had a more open architecture, which allowed third-party companies to develop hardware and software for it. This openness made the IBM PC much more versatile and affordable than other personal computers, and it helped to fuel its rapid adoption.
The IBM PC also benefited from IBM's marketing muscle. IBM was a well-known and respected company, and its endorsement of the IBM PC gave it a credibility that other personal computers lacked. IBM also invested heavily in advertising the IBM PC, which helped to create a sense of excitement and demand for it.
The IBM PC's success had a profound impact on the personal computing industry. It made personal computers more affordable and accessible to businesses and consumers, and it spawned an entire industry of software and hardware developers. The IBM PC also helped to popularize the graphical user interface (GUI), which is now the standard way to interact with personal computers.
The IBM PC is still considered to be one of the most important technological innovations of the 20th century. It changed the way we work, play, and communicate. It also helped to create the modern computing industry, which is now worth trillions of dollars.
Here are some of the key innovations that the IBM PC introduced:
An open architecture that allowed third-party companies to develop hardware and software for it.
A graphical user interface (GUI) that made it easier to use than other personal computers.
A powerful microprocessor that made it faster than other personal computers.
A wide range of software applications that made it useful for business and personal use.
The IBM PC was a major turning point in the history of personal computing. It made personal computers more affordable, accessible, and versatile than ever before. It also helped to popularize the GUI and the microprocessor, two technologies that are still essential to personal computing today. The IBM PC is a true technological marvel, and it continues to have a major impact on our lives.
I quite disagree on points, not in spirit. When the original IBM PC came out, it was a major turning point, but not for the reasons given. I was working in the industry at the time, and there were many better models from other vendors available.
What IBM did was to legitimise the PC industry.
I took away the hesitancy of the customers who -up to then- had to make a choice between 5 or so different machines.
The IBM name changed all that. At one stroke the PC became of age, investing in a PC no longer was considered a difficult choice, it became a no-brainer.