During the Era of the Personal Computer
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of DEC
Boy, was he wrong. The IBM had shipped hundreds of thousands of PCs in the first 2 months.
Between approximately 1981-1994 IBM dominated the computing market. Computers, printers, and floppy disks largely replaced typewriters and mimeographs in the office. Lots of IBM's ideas inspired video game companies and small start-up companies that started popping up everywhere. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs started their now-famous company, Apple, in 1976. They built and marketed the Apple II, a well-designed computer for personal use, and it became very popular among computer enthusiasts. Once Apple designed a personal computer that was easy to use and that people wanted to buy, IBM realised that PCs could be sold, not just to businesses, but to individuals for home use.
In 1980, IBM lab director Bill Lowe met with top IBM executives in New York. He claimed that he could build a small, cheap, new computer in a year or less. The response was "You're on! Come back in a year with what you have done." Lowe gathered a small group of designers and programmers and began work. In less than a year, Lowe came back to New York with the result. The executives liked it, and the IBM PC was unveiled in New York's Waldorf Astoria ballroom in August of 1981. It was an instant success.
By 1985, almost everybody in the U.S. had heard of the PC. You could buy one at your local Sears. At work, you created word processor documents, and if you wanted to transport them, you had to load the documents onto a 5.25” floppy disk and send the disk to wherever you wanted it to go. Computer giants Dell and Compaq started because of the IBM PC. There were no laptops. The only form of portable computer was a portable computer! They looked like tan suitcases or briefcases, and usually weighed over 40 pounds.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of DEC
Boy, was he wrong. The IBM had shipped hundreds of thousands of PCs in the first 2 months.
Between approximately 1981-1994 IBM dominated the computing market. Computers, printers, and floppy disks largely replaced typewriters and mimeographs in the office. Lots of IBM's ideas inspired video game companies and small start-up companies that started popping up everywhere. Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs started their now-famous company, Apple, in 1976. They built and marketed the Apple II, a well-designed computer for personal use, and it became very popular among computer enthusiasts. Once Apple designed a personal computer that was easy to use and that people wanted to buy, IBM realised that PCs could be sold, not just to businesses, but to individuals for home use.
In 1980, IBM lab director Bill Lowe met with top IBM executives in New York. He claimed that he could build a small, cheap, new computer in a year or less. The response was "You're on! Come back in a year with what you have done." Lowe gathered a small group of designers and programmers and began work. In less than a year, Lowe came back to New York with the result. The executives liked it, and the IBM PC was unveiled in New York's Waldorf Astoria ballroom in August of 1981. It was an instant success.
By 1985, almost everybody in the U.S. had heard of the PC. You could buy one at your local Sears. At work, you created word processor documents, and if you wanted to transport them, you had to load the documents onto a 5.25” floppy disk and send the disk to wherever you wanted it to go. Computer giants Dell and Compaq started because of the IBM PC. There were no laptops. The only form of portable computer was a portable computer! They looked like tan suitcases or briefcases, and usually weighed over 40 pounds.