IBM recognizes it on its company history page. It was not the first personal computer. Nor was it the most advanced . But he led the revolution that would bring personal computing to everyday life. Before the IBM PC or IBM PC, there were already personal computers or microcomputers. Some with integrated screen . Others on the other hand, you had to connect them to a television. Each one with its processor. Incompatible with each other. But then IBM came along and turned their IBM PC model 5150 into an industry standard, a personal computer that other manufacturers would draw on.
In a previous article, I talked about the personal computers that the Italian Olivetti created and its determination to overshadow the American giants like IBM. Precisely, in that text I mentioned the IBM 610 from 1957. Technically, one of the first personal computers . In practice, a simple desktop calculator. But for that time it was a breakthrough. And in 1975, IBM launched its first desktop microcomputer, the IBM 5100 . However, it was designed for professionals and scientists.
And what about the Apple II from 1977. Or the Commodore PET . Or the Atari 400 and 800 . IBM itself mentions them on its official page. Come on, the IBM PC is clear that it was not the first personal computer. For years now, the market was filling up with different brands and models of machines that you could buy at an economical price, by the standards of the moment, and that you could take home . Moreover, Microsoft , a company that created software for microcomputers, had been founded in 1977. So why did the IBM PC triumph to the point of being the standard of the personal computing industry?
The personal computer is not just for geeks
One of the keys to the success of the IBM PC is that it managed to reach a part of the public that until then had not been considered in the technology market. Until the arrival of the IBM personal computer, computers were something of universities, companies, public bodies or, at most, libraries, schools and institutes. In the words of IBM, in the late 70s, when the office closed, you turned off your terminal and went home. If you had extra work, you brought a folder full of papers. At most, you had a typewriter.
But the IBM PC brought the personal computer into the homes of millions of people . Something that only happened if you were a computer professional, an electronics engineer or a geek. Come on, an enthusiast like those of the mythical Homebrew Computer Club, created in 1975 and which had illustrious members such as Steve Wozniak .
Until well into the 70s of the last century, your first contact with a computer was at university. Or in the institute if you had a high purchasing power. That was precisely the case with Bill Gates. The first computer he touched was in 1968 at Lakeside, the private school where he studied before enrolling at Harvard University. Interestingly, in Lakeside he met Paul Allen , with whom he would found Microsoft.
But something begins to change from 1970. As I mentioned before, companies like Commodore, Apple or Atari began to create small computers, by standards of the moment, creating personal computers that practically anyone could operate. And they all had something in common : a microprocessor, a BIOS, read-only memory (ROM), floppy drive, motherboard and operating system. Another detail was that its price was around $ 1,000 at the time compared to the $ 9,000 that a IBM System 23 cost, the personal computer model that preceded the IBM PC. And that went on sale in July 1981. Nor did they manage to make it cheaper.
Choosing the best of each house
IBM reports that William C. Lowe , systems manager for IBM Entry Level Systems, traveled from Boca Raton, Florida, where he worked, to IBM headquarters in Armonk, New York. There he met with the CEO of the company, Frank Cary . A simple idea emerged from that meeting: IBM was to create a personal computer priced at around $ 1,500. Frank Cary didn't make it easy for Lowe. The order was: “come back in a month with a prototype.”
This ambitious and fast-paced project, headed by William C. Lowe , was joined by Don Estridge (development), Bill Sydnes (hardware), Jack Sams (software), Dave Bradley (interface) and HL Sparks (marketing), among others. And unlike their predecessors at IBM, they went looking for the components outside the company. Something that had never happened in its more than 70 years of history. Well, it is not entirely true, since the previous model, the System / 23 already included an external processor, an Intel 8085.
Microsoft provided the operating system. QDOS , which would be called PC-DOS and later MS-DOS . For the processor, Intel contributed its 4.77 MHz 8088 processor. The monitor itself was its own, from the Japanese division of IBM. The printer, from Epson . And the keyboard and the system unit were also created at IBM. In addition, they had a great idea, to bet on the open architecture , that is, to publish the designs of the circuit system and the codes of the own software so that others companies could create compatible software and peripherals. You only had to buy the IBM PC Technical Reference Manual to have access to the diagrams, schematics and other detailed information on how the IBM PC worked.
The result was a personal computer that would sell for $ 1,565 at the time. In return you got a machine with 16 KB of RAM, without disk drives, but with applications included, together with MS-DOS , such as VisiCalc (worksheets calculation) or EasyWriter (a word processor). Optionally, you could add screen, printer, up to two floppy drives, more RAM, communications, game adapter and other applications.
The world knows the IBM 5150, the IBM PC
What was called the IBM PC or IBM PC, actually the IBM 5150 model, was unveiled on August 12, 1981 at a press conference in New York City. It was precisely the press itself that called this machine The IBM PC, the IBM PC. The press did part of the work and IBM itself did the rest with its aggressive and successful advertising campaign.
The campaign showed his computer together with a woman, a man and a teenager . It even featured the character of Chaplin. Along with the image, on a white background, a two-paragraph text was included in which the virtues of this personal computer were explained. The objective, to fill offices and homes with personal computers.
Its design, its features, its price and the advertising campaign of the media and advertiser, made it possible for people who had never bought a computer to consider the idea of having one at home. A revolution like the one that was experienced with the introduction of the television, radio, automobile or electricity in private homes .
Hence, Time magazine of January 1983 , in the edition in which it highlights a personality of the year, decided to opt for the IBM personal computer. Instead of Man of the Year, Machine of the Year. Precisely, Time highlighted the success of the IBM PC comparing it to the popularization of the car or the television. A technological revolution.
The IBM PC, a de facto standard
After the success of the IBM PC, it was a matter of time before other manufacturers decided to release their versions inspired by the IBM 5150. Companies such as Compaq, Dell or HP they launched “IBM compatible” personal computers. By reverse engineering they created their own versions of the IBM PC BIOS, so they did not need to pay usage rights to IBM. They also launched compatible peripherals. A standard had been born in the industry of personal computing and the concept of PC or Personal Computer became a generic word of everyday use.
As with the war between Beta and VHS, the best did not win. The IBM PC was not the best, but it did offer a good value for money . For the average user, who wanted to keep his personal accounting up to date, write a letter or document at home or do his homework, it was more than enough. And at a price never seen before.
