On 12 August 1981 IBM introduced the IBM 5150 Personal Computer in New York, at a price of 1,565 dollars. Built quickly from off-the-shelf parts, with an Intel 8088 processor and an operating system, PC-DOS, supplied by the small company Microsoft, it had an open architecture that others could copy. Compatible 'clones' by Compaq, Dell and others soon dominated the market, giving Microsoft's software a near-monopoly. Apple's Macintosh of 1984 brought the graphical interface to the public. The IBM PC established the standard for personal computing for decades.
Before and after
- 13 June 1981Birth of Chris Evans
- 10 July 1981Release of The Fox and the Hound
- 29 July 1981Birth of Fernando Alonso
- 4 August 1981Birth of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
- 12 August 1981IBM launches the Personal Computer
- 22 August 1981Discovery of Pan
- 23 August 1981Discovery of Pallene
- 21 September 1981Founding of Belize
- 26 September 1981Birth of Serena Williams
More in Science & technology
- 1949Discovery of berkelium
- 1955Discovery of mendelevium
- 1958Discovery of nobelium
- c. 1980sInvention of laptop
- 9 November 1994Discovery of darmstadtium
- 8 December 1994Discovery of roentgenium
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.