Influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Following the introduction of the IBM Personal Computer, or IBM PC, many other personal computer architectures became extinct within just a few years.[1] It led to a wave of IBM PC compatible systems being released.
Before the IBM PC's introduction
Before the IBM PC was introduced, the personal computer market was dominated by systems using the
Around 1978,
More than 50 new business-oriented personal computer systems came on the market in the year before IBM released the IBM PC.[7][8] Very few of them used a 16- or 32-bit microprocessor, as 8-bit systems were generally believed by the vendors to be perfectly adequate, and the Intel 8086 was too expensive to use.[9]
Some of the main manufacturers selling 8-bit business systems during this period were:
- Acorn Computers
- Apple Computer Inc.
- Atari Inc.
- Commodore International
- Cromemco
- Digital Equipment Corporation
- Durango Systems Inc.
- Hewlett-Packard
- InterSystems
- Morrow Designs
- North Star Computers
- Ohio Scientific
- Olivetti
- Processor Technology
- Sharp
- South West Technical Products Corporation
- Tandy Corporation
- Zenith Data Systems/Heathkit
The IBM PC
On August 12, 1981, IBM released the IBM Personal Computer.[10] One of the most far-reaching decisions made for IBM PC was to use an open architecture,[11] leading to a large market for third party add-in boards and applications; but finally also to many competitors all creating "IBM-compatible" machines.
The IBM PC used the then-new
As of mid-1982, three other mainframe and minicomputer companies sold microcomputers, but unlike IBM,
The use of MS-DOS on non-IBM PC compatible systems
[Bill] Gates predicts that in the next six to nine months, several 8086 machines will be introduced. Just because a machine is based on the same processor, he explains, does not mean that all PC software will run on it. In some cases, software bypasses the operating system and uses specific hardware characteristics of the PC.
— InfoWorld, 23 August 1982[19]
Within a year of the IBM PC's introduction, Microsoft—the developer of its primary operating system,
The IBM PC was difficult to obtain for several years after its introduction. Many makers of MS-DOS computers intentionally avoided full IBM compatibility because they expected that the market for what InfoWorld described as "ordinary PC clones" would decline. They feared the fate of companies that sold computers
While Microsoft used a sophisticated
To get the best results out of the 8088's modest performance, many popular software applications were written specifically for the IBM PC. The developers of these programs opted to write directly to the computer's (video) memory and peripheral chips, bypassing MS-DOS and the BIOS. For example, a program might directly update the video refresh memory, instead of using MS-DOS calls and device drivers to alter the appearance of the screen. Many notable software packages, such as the spreadsheet program Lotus 1-2-3, and Microsoft's Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0, directly accessed the IBM PC's hardware, bypassing the BIOS, and therefore did not work on computers that were even trivially different from the IBM PC. This was especially common among PC games. As a result, the systems that were not fully IBM PC-compatible could not run this software, and quickly became obsolete. Rendered obsolete with them was the CP/M-inherited concept of OEM versions of MS-DOS meant to run (through BIOS calls) on non IBM-PC hardware.
Cloning the PC BIOS
In 1984,
without having to develop a compatible BIOS like Compaq.Decline of the Intel 80186
Although based on the i8086 and enabling the creation of relatively low-cost x86-based systems, the Intel 80186 quickly lost appeal for x86-based PC builders because the supporting circuitry inside the Intel 80186 chip was incompatible with those used in the standard PC chipset as implemented by IBM. It was very rarely used in personal computers after 1982.
Domination of the clones
"Is it PC compatible?"
Imagine that Cray computer decides to make a personal computer. It has a 100 MHz processor, 20 megabytes of RAM, 500 megabytes of disk storage, a screen resolution of 1024 X 1024 pixels, relies entirely on voice recognition for input, fits in your shirt pocket and costs $3,000. What's the first question that the computer community asks? "Is it PC compatible?"
— InfoWorld, February 1984[28]
You don't ask whether a new machine is fast or slow, new technology or old. The first question is, "Is it PC compatible?"
— Creative Computing, November 1984[17]
In February 1984
It's become painfully obvious that the key to survival as a major manufacturer is acceptance by the business community. The IBM PC has unquestionably opened the door to that market wider than any personal computer before it, but in so doing has made compatibility a primary factor in microcomputer design, for better or for worse. Recent announcements by North Star ... and a host of smaller firms seem to indicate that the 8088/MS-DOS/IBM-compatible bandwagon is becoming much more like a speeding freight train.
The magazine expressed concern that "IBM's burgeoning influence in the PC community is stifling innovation because so many other companies are mimicking Big Blue".[29] Admitting that "it's what our dealers asked for", Kaypro also introduced the company's first IBM compatible that year.[31] Tandy—which had once had as much as 60% of the personal-computer market, but had attempted to keep technical information secret to monopolize software and peripheral sales[32]—also began selling non-proprietary computers;[33] four years after its Jon Shirley predicted to InfoWorld that the new IBM PC's "major market would be IBM addicts",[34] the magazine in 1985 similarly called the IBM compatibility of the Tandy 1000 "no small concession to Big Blue's dominating stranglehold" by a company that had been "struggling openly in the blood-soaked arena of personal computers".[35] The 1000 was compatible with the PC but not compatible with its own Tandy 2000 MS-DOS computer.[36][37] IBM's mainframe rivals, the BUNCH, introduced their own compatibles,[38] and when Hewlett-Packard introduced the Vectra InfoWorld stated that the company was "responding to demands from its customers for full IBM PC compatibility".[39]
I believe that the era when a machine could be introduced successfully into the marketplace with a total dearth of software ended abruptly with the Macintosh. And those days will not return.
— Creative Computing, February 1985[40]
By 1985, the shortage of IBM PCs had ended, causing financial difficulties for many vendors of compatibles; nonetheless, Harris said, "The only ones that have done worse than the compatibles are the noncompatibles".
Within a few years of the introduction of fully compatible PC clones, almost all rival business personal computer systems, and alternate x86 using architectures, were gone from the market. Despite the
Wave of inexpensive clones
Compaq's prices were comparable to IBM's, and the company emphasized its PC compatibles' features and quality to corporate customers. From mid-1985, what Compute! described as a "wave" of inexpensive clones from American and Asian companies caused prices to decline; by the end of 1986, the equivalent to a $1,600 real IBM PC with 256K RAM and two disk drives cost as little as $600, lower than the price of the Apple IIc. Consumers began purchasing DOS computers for the home in large numbers; Tandy estimated that half of its 1000 sales went to homes, the new Leading Edge Model D comprised 1% of the US home-computer market that year, and toy and discount stores sold a clone manufactured by Hyundai, the Blue Chip PC, like a stereo—without a demonstrator model or salesman.[47][48][49][50][51][52]
Tandy and other inexpensive clones succeeded with consumers—who saw them as superior to lower-end game machines—where IBM failed two years earlier with the PCjr. They were as inexpensive as home computers of a few years earlier, and comparable in price to the Amiga, Atari ST, and Apple IIGS. Unlike the PCjr, clones were as fast as or faster than the IBM PC and highly compatible so users could bring work home; the large DOS software library reassured those worried about orphaned technology. Consumers used them for both spreadsheets and entertainment, with the former ability justifying buying a computer that could also perform the latter.[49][50][51][48] PCs and compatibles also gained a significant share of the educational market, while longtime leader Apple lost share.[53]
At the January 1987
Clones conquer the home
By 1990, Computer Gaming World told a reader complaining about the many reviews of IBM PC compatible games that "most companies are attempting to get their MS-DOS products out the door, first".
By 1995, other than the Macintosh, almost no new consumer-oriented systems were sold that were not IBM PC clones. Throughout the 1990s Apple transitioned the Macintosh from proprietary expansion interfaces to standards such as
In 2008, Sid Meier listed the IBM PC as one of the three most important innovations in the history of video games.[63]
Systems launched shortly after the IBM PC
Shortly after the IBM PC was released, an obvious split appeared between systems that opted to use an x86-compatible processor, and those that chose another architecture. Almost all of the x86 systems provided a version of MS-DOS. The others used many different operating systems, although the Z80-based systems typically offered a version of CP/M. The common usage of MS-DOS unified the x86-based systems, promoting growth of the x86/MS-DOS "ecosystem".
As the non-x86 architectures died off, and x86 systems standardized into fully IBM PC compatible clones, a market filled with dozens of different competing systems was reduced to a near-monoculture of x86-based, IBM PC compatible, MS-DOS systems.
x86-based systems (using OEM-specific versions of MS-DOS)
Early after the launch of the IBM PC in 1981, there were still dozens of systems that were not IBM PC-compatible, but did use Intel x86 chips.[64] They used Intel 8088, 8086, or 80186 processors, and almost without exception offered an OEM version of MS-DOS (as opposed to the OEM version customized for IBM's use). However, they generally made no attempt to copy the IBM PC's architecture, so these machines had different I/O addresses, a different system bus, different video controllers, and other differences from the original IBM PC. These differences, which were sometimes rather minor, were used to improve upon the IBM PC's design, but as a result of the differences, software that directly manipulated the hardware would not run correctly. In most cases, the x86-based systems that did not use a fully IBM PC compatible design did not sell well enough to attract support from software manufacturers, though a few computer manufacturers arranged for compatible versions of popular applications to be developed and sold specifically for their machines.
Fully IBM PC-compatible clones appeared on the market shortly thereafter, as the advantages of cloning became impossible to ignore. But before that some of the more notable systems that were x86-compatible, but not real clones, were:
- the ACT Apricot by ACT
- the Dulmont Magnum
- the Epson QX-16
- the Seequa Chameleon
- the HP OmniGo 120.
- the Commodore, as its first PC compatible.
- the MBC-550 by Sanyo had many differences, including non-interchangeability of diskettes and non-standard ROM location.
- the DG-One by Data Generalwas an early laptop with full 80x25 LCD screen that could boot some generic DOSes but worked best with their OEM version of MS-DOS, and had some hardware incompatibilities (especially in the serial I-O chip) as part of the compromise to reduce power consumption. Later models were more compatible with generic PC clones.
- the DG/10 by Data General had two processors, one an Intel 8086, running a very-modified[65] version of MSDOS (alternatively: CP/M-86) in a patented closely coupled arrangement with Data General's own microECLIPSE (the 8086 "invisibly" calling the microECLIPSE whenever it needed access to some peripherals, such as disks, while the 8086 had control over other peripherals such as the screen).
- the 80186-based Mindset graphics computer
- the Morrow Designs' Morrow Pivot[66]
- the MZ-5500 by Sharp
- the Decision Mate V from NCR-DOS
- the MikroMikko 2 by Nokia
- the NorthStar Advantage
- the
- the Rainbow 100 from DEC had both an 8088 and Zilog Z80 for Digital Research's CP/M-80 Operating System
- the RM Nimbus by RM plc
- the Tandy 2000 by RadioShack had a Intel 8186
- the TI Professional[70]
- the Torch Graduate by Torch Computers
- the Tulip System-1 by Tulip
- the Victor 9000 by Sirius Systems Technology
- the :YES by Philips was late on the market, ran DOS Plus and MS-DOS, but by using an 80186 it was incompatible with IBM's PC
- the Z-100 by Zenith with an MS-DOS OEM version named Z-DOS
Non-x86-based systems
Not all manufacturers immediately switched to the Intel x86 microprocessor family and MS-DOS. A few companies continued releasing systems based on non-Intel architectures.
Other non-x86-based systems available at the IBM PC's launch
- Apple II+
- Commodore PET and CBM series
- Atari 400 and 800
- Cromemco CS-1
- Intertec's Compustar II VPU Model 20[72]
- Corvus Concept
- Kaypro 10
- Fujitsu Micro 16s[73]
- Micro Decision by Morrow Designs[74]
- MTU-130 by Micro Technology Unlimited[75]
- Xerox 820
- MicroOffice[76]
- TRS-80 Model III
See also
- Wintel
- Open standard
- Dominant design
- History of computing hardware (1960s–present)
- Timeline of DOS operating systems
- Comparison of DOS operating systems
- List of computers running CP/M
References
- ^ "IBM PC". Archived from the original on 2006-07-05. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Byte Jan 1983". January 1983.
- ^ Hogan, Thom (1981-09-14). "State of Microcomputing / Some Horses Running Neck and Neck". pp. 10–12. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- ^ From Altair to iPad 35 years of personal computer market share Ars Technica, October 2012
- ^ "Personal Computers in the Eighties, Byte Jan. 1983". January 1983.
- ^ "161x_e - CPU Museum". 23 September 2015.
- ^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum".
- ^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum".
- ISSN 0199-6649. The editors asked 17 personal computer executives "Is 8-bit dead?" The response was mixed. Gary Kildall, author of the CP/M operating system, said "We're not too concerned that 8-bit stuff is going to die." Bill Gates said "We need the power of the 16-bit computers for good software design."
- ^ "Chronology of Personal Computers (1981)".
- pcmag.com.went to IBM's Corporate Management Committee in July 1980 to propose the project
In some ways, the most far-reaching decision made by the team that built the IBM PC was to use an open architecture, rather than one that was proprietary to IBM. That decision led to the market for add-in boards, for large numbers of third party applications, and eventually to a large number of competitors all creating "IBM-compatible" machines. ... Bill Lowe
- ^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum".
- ^ THE 8088, FIRST INTEL'S REALLY SUCCESSFUL CPU (JUNE 1979) – an article about the influence of the i8088 on old-computers.com.
- ^ Rosen Research (1981-11-30). "From the Rosen Electronics Letter / IBM's impact on microcomputer manufacturers". InfoWorld. pp. 86–87. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "DigiBarn Stories: The 25th Anniversary of the launch of the IBM Personal Computer model 5150".
- ISBN 9780385191661.
... the real impact was in marketing— a PC with IBM's massive organization behind it. By mid-1984, estimates were that 75–85% of all software being written was targeted for the IBM PC and compatible machines.
- ^ a b Sandler, Corey (November 1984). "IBM: Colossus of Armonk". Creative Computing. p. 298. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Wise, Deborah (1982-05-10). "Mainframe makers court third-party vendors for micro software". InfoWorld. pp. 21–22. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ a b Freiberger, Paul (1982-08-23). "Bill Gates, Microsoft and the IBM Personal Computer". InfoWorld. p. 22. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ "Compaq Portable Computer". Archived from the original on 2014-01-15. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b c d Mace, Scott (9–16 January 1984). "IBM PC clone makers shun total compatibility". InfoWorld. pp. 79–81. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ Greenwald, John (1983-07-11). "The Colossus That Works". TIME. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
- ^ Norton, Peter (1984-08-07). "A Modest Proposal On Compatibility". PC Magazine. p. 103. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ da Cruz, Frank (1984-01-23). "IBM PC Kermit". Info-Kermit Digest (Mailing list). Kermit Project, Columbia University. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
- ^ Norton, Peter (1985-02-05). "Software for Once and All". PC Magazine. p. 103. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ Langdell, James (1984-07-10). "Phoenix Says Its BIOS May Foil IBM's Lawsuits". PC Magazine. p. 56. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ Schmidt, Robert (July 1994). "What Is The BIOS?". Computing Basics. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ a b Clapp, Doug (1984-02-27). "PC compatibility". InfoWorld. p. 22. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ a b Curran, Lawrence J. (Feb 1984). "The Compatibility Craze". BYTE. p. 4. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ Shapiro, Ezra (February 1984). "A Business Computer, A Business Program, and More on Voice Recognition". BYTE. p. 147. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ Sanger, David E. (1984-11-15). "At Computer Show, Many Retrenching". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ^ White, Ron (August 1987). "The Tandy Story: 10 years after the TRS-80 Model I". 80 Micro. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
- ^ Lewis, Peter H. (1986-05-06). "PERIPHERALS; Clone War Escalates". The New York Times.
- ^ Freiberger, Paul (1981-10-05). "Old-Timers Claim IBM Entry Doesn't Scare Them". InfoWorld. p. 5. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Springer, P. Gregory (1985-06-03). "Tandy's Magnificent Concession". InfoWorld. p. 72. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ Vose, G. Michael (December 1984). "The Tandy 1000". BYTE. pp. 98–104.
- ^ Anderson, John J. (December 1984). "Tandy Model 1000; junior meets his match". Creative Computing. p. 44. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Bartimo, Jim (1984-11-05). "Mainframe BUNCH Goes Micro". InfoWorld. pp. 47–50. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ Petrosky, Mark (1985-09-30). "HP's Vectra Called PC AT 'Hybrid'". InfoWorld. p. 5. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "Mindset micro; pushing the envelope, or whatever happened to innovation?".
- ^ Caruso, Denise (1984-04-02). "Company Strategies Boomerang". InfoWorld. pp. 80–83. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b c Bermant, Charles; Dudek, Virginia (1985-05-14). "Endangered PCs". PC Magazine. p. 33. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ Fawcette, James E. (1985-03-11). "Awaiting PC AT Clones". InfoWorld (editorial). p. 5. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
- ^ Machrone, Bill (1985-11-26). "Compatibility Wars—Here and Abroad". PC Magazine. p. 59. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Why the IBM PC is a Lousy Standard for the Industry". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- ^ Scott, David Clark (1986-11-04). "IBM home computer clones stream in with quality, low prices". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ^ a b Halfhill, Tom R. (December 1986). "The MS-DOS Invasion / IBM Compatibles Are Coming Home". Compute!. p. 32. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ a b Bateman, Selby (August 1986). "An Eight-Bit Bonanza". Compute!. p. 20. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ a b Bateman, Selby (October 1986). "A Great Year For Games". Compute!. p. 18. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ a b Leemon, Sheldon (November 1986). "Microscope". Compute!. p. 66. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ Leemon, Sheldon (March 1987). "Microscope". Compute!. p. 81. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ Ferrell, Keith (December 1987). "Apple Vs. IBM: The Struggle For The Educational Market". Compute!'s Apple Applications. pp. 27–33. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ Bateman, Selby; Halfhill, Tom R. (April 1987). "The Fireworks Continue". Compute!. p. 18. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ Brooks, M. Evan (November 1987). "Titans of the Computer Gaming World: MicroProse". Computer Gaming World. p. 16. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Proctor, Bob (March 1988). "Titans of the Computer Gaming World: SSI". Computer Gaming World. p. 36. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Keiser, Gregg (June 1988). "MS-DOS Takes Charge of Fun Software". Compute!. p. 81. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Commodore Software Sales: Games". Compute's Gazette. February 1989. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ^ Scisco, Peter (October 1989). "Editorial License". Compute!. p. 4. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Announcing a Bigger, Better, Bolder New Compute!". Compute! (advertisement). October 1989. p. 97. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "The Too 'Blue' Blues". Computer Gaming World. January 1990. p. 66. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Fusion, Transfusion or Confusion / Future Directions In Computer Entertainment". Computer Gaming World. December 1990. p. 26. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ Totilo, Stephen (2008-03-03). "The Three Most Important Moments In Gaming, And Other Lessons From Sid Meier, In GameFile". MTV News. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ search here with ms-dos as Operating System
- ^ Mark Aitchison (28 December 2014). "Hardware compatibility". Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ Ahl, David H. "Morrow Pivot; a truly portable MS-DOS computer from one of the oldest companies in the field".
- ^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum".
- ^ Ahl, David H. "NCR Decision Mate V."
- ^ Takayuki, ITO. "Intro to NEC PC-9800 World". Archived from the original on 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ "Web8bits, Texas Instrument Professional Computer".
- ^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum".
- ^ "DAVES OLD COMPUTERS- Intertec SuperBrain". Archived from the original on 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Fujitsu_Micro_16s". Archived from the original on 2008-06-21.
- ^ "DAVES OLD COMPUTERS- Morrow Micro Decision".
- ^ "MTU-130: A New 6502 Microcomputer".
- ^ Ahl, David H. "The MicroOffice RoadRunner".