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IBM Personal Computer
Sign in to saveAlso known as IBM PC, IBM-PC, IBM 5150, IBM PC Model 5150, IBM Personal Computer Model 5150
personal computer model released in 1981
Key facts
- Also known as
- IBM PC
- Developer
- International Business Machines (IBM)
- Manufacturer
- IBM
- Product family
- IBM PC
- Type
- Personal computer
- Generation
- First generation
- Released
- August 12, 1981 ; 44 years ago ( 1981-08-12 )
- Lifespan
- 1981–1987
- Introductory price
- US$1,565 (equivalent to $5,540 in 2025)
- Discontinued
- April 2, 1987 ; 39 years ago ( 1987-04-02 )
- Operating system
- IBM BASIC / PC DOS 1.0 CP/M-86 UCSD p-System
- Cpu
- Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz
- Memory
- 16 KB – 256 KB (motherboard) ( DRAM )
- Removable storage
- 5.25" Floppy drives (160 KB or 320 KB), Cassette
- Display
- IBM 5151 Monochrome Display, IBM 5153 Color Display
- Graphics
- MDA , CGA
- Sound
- PC speaker 1-channel square-wave/1-bit digital ( PWM -capable)
- Input
- XT-Keyboard
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- IBM PC compatible
- Followed by
- IBM Personal Computer XT
- Follows
- IBM System/23 Datamaster
- Developer
- Philip Don Estridge
- Manufacturer
- IBM
- Image
- IBM PC-IMG 7271 (transparent).png
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- IBM PC
- CPU
- Intel 8088
- operating system
- CP/M-86
- announcement date
- 1981-08-12
- publication date
- 1981-08-12
via Wikidata · CC0
~33 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150), often referred to as the IBM PC, is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team of engineers and designers at International Business Machines (IBM), directed by William C. Lowe and Philip Don Estridge in Boca Raton, Florida.
Powered by an x86-architecture Intel 8088 processor, the machine was based on open architecture and third-party peripherals. Over time, expansion cards and software technology increased to support it. The PC had a substantial influence on the personal computer market; the specifications of the IBM PC became one of the most popular computer design standards in the world. The only significant competition it faced from a non-compatible platform throughout the 1980s was from Apple's Macintosh product line, as well as consumer-grade platforms created by companies like Commodore and Atari. Most present-day personal computers share architectural features in common with the original IBM PC, including the Intel-based Mac computers manufactured from 2006 to 2022.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “IBM Personal Computer” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.