I have two main unit, IBM mono monitor and two keyboards.
type computer
country USA
year 1981
os PC-DOS 1.0, BASIC
cpu Intel 8088
speed 4.77 MHz
ram 16 KB
graphic 80×24 text
colors mono
sound 1 channel
disk 2×160 KB 5.25″
ports cassette, keyboard
The IBM PC 5150 — The Computer That Changed Everything
Released on 12 August 1981, the IBM Personal Computer Model 5150 is the single most consequential product in the history of computing. Developed in just one year by a secret team in Boca Raton, Florida under the codename ”Project Chess,” led by Don Estridge, the IBM PC transformed the personal computer from a hobbyist curiosity into the global corporate standard. Its open architecture, Intel 8088 processor, and the licensing of PC-DOS from a then-small company called Microsoft set in motion a chain of events that created the modern computing industry — and unintentionally handed Microsoft and Intel the dominance they would maintain for decades.
Project Chess — One Year to Change the World
IBM’s entry into personal computing was driven by urgency. Commodore, Apple, and Tandy had established themselves in the emerging market, and IBM’s management recognised they could not afford to spend the typical three to five years developing a new product from scratch. Don Estridge got permission to run a ”skunkworks” operation entirely outside IBM’s standard development procedures — using off-the-shelf components, an open architecture that invited third-party expansion, and external suppliers for critical components including the operating system. The result was a complete personal computer developed in eleven months, unveiled at New York’s Waldorf Hotel on 12 August 1981 at a base price of $1,565.
The Microsoft Connection
IBM’s decision to license PC-DOS from Microsoft rather than develop their own operating system was the most consequential business decision in the history of the technology industry. Microsoft retained the right to license the operating system — MS-DOS — to other manufacturers, enabling the clone market that IBM had inadvertently created through its open architecture. Within a few years, IBM-compatible PCs from Compaq, AST, Zenith, and dozens of others were outselling IBM’s own machines. The standard IBM had established had escaped IBM’s control, and Microsoft had become the dominant software company in history.
Impact
IBM sold 200,000 units in the first year and had 100,000 orders by Christmas 1981 — extraordinary numbers for the young microcomputer industry. The 5150 legitimised personal computing in corporate eyes, effectively ending the era of proprietary incompatible systems and creating the IBM PC-compatible standard that defines personal computing to this day. Having the original IBM PC 5150 in the Computer Museum Ata collection is holding one of the most historically significant objects in technology history.