IBM PC

The IBM Personal Computer 5150 was released in 1981 as the first true IBM PC model and became known simply as the IBM PC. Due to an open architecture, the IBM PCs succeeded enormously, exceeding IBM’s sales expectations by as much as 800% and shipping as many as 40,000 units per month.

In the early 1980s, the IBM PC set a high bar for personal computers. The 5150 featured the Intel 8088 chip because IBM had a long history of working with Intel. Additionally, at the time, its 16 KB of memory expandable to 64 KB on the main board was massive. Because IBM made the specifications for its expansion bus available, compatible third-party add-on cards quickly entered the market. By 1985, IBM-clone computers dominated sales as they were usually cheaper, ran the same Microsoft DOS, and used the same parts that IBM used.

IBM exited the PC market in 2007 as clones dominated the market and IBM shifted its focus toward services.