How the IBM PC Changed the World

Sabah Arif writes "On August 12, 1981, IBM released the IBM PC 5150. In less than two years, IBM had created a computer that would not only change IBM, but the entire world, mostly because it did not follow IBM tradition. It used an outside microprocessor (instead of the nascent IBM 801), operating system and software. Low End Mac recounts the birth of the IBM PC 5150."

Comments

The Next Big Thing

[ian_mackereth]

I reckon it was the Turbo button that was the best part of early PCs.

These days, no turbo button, so I'm stuck at a crawling 3GHz...

Re:The Next Big Thing

[pimpimpim]

Hmmm, let me think, reintroducing something from the 80's as if it was your own innovation..... Maybe you should just wait for the next WWDC! Except that it won't be called 'turbo' anymore (that is really too 80's), but more something like "Engage". And it won't be an actual button, but more some sort of fancy transparent widget.

They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore

[Vollernurd]

Man, the hardware... Hewn from a single piece of purest iron those things were (literally?) bullet-proof. The keyboards would last for years before even one of those keys stopped working.

Of course, you couldn't lift them. But whilst machines now whirr away at insane speeds and generally work well their keyboards suck.

Er... that's it. Just got misty-eyed there for a second.