The IBM Personal System/2 or PS/2 was IBM's third generation of personal computers. The PS/2 line, released to the public in 1987, was created by IBM in an attempt to recapture control of the PC market by introducing an advanced proprietary architecture. Although IBM's considerable market presence ensured the PS/2 would sell in relatively large numbers, the PS/2 architecture ultimately failed in its bid to return control of the PC market to IBM. Due to the higher costs of the closed architecture, customers preferred competing PCs that extended the existing PC architecture instead of abandoning it for something new.

Terry Muldoon has written to us with following correction and comments:
"The PS/2 Model 30 was the one model of PS/2 that did not have Micro Channel Architecture.it had a PC AT bus.  Second it did not have VGA graphics it had MCGA (Multicolour Graphics Array).

The Micro Channel boxes announced at the time (April 2nd 1987) were: the Model 50 (i286 desktop), Model 60 (i286 Tower) and Model 80 (i383 Tower). I know this as fact because I was IBM UK's Micro Channel Architecture Specialist (trained and tutored in Boca Raton by Chet Heath) at the time of announcement.  In fact, as I write this moment I'm looking at the award that I was given at the time." November 2010

The OS/2 operating system was introduced with the PS/2 line and was intended as its "native" OS, although PC-DOS was also supported. IBM also released AIX PS/2, a Unix-like operating system for PS/2 models with Intel 386 or later processors. Windows was another option for PS/2.

Release date was April, 1987 with an 8 MHz Intel 8086 CPU

Our machine is complete, original and  in perfect working order; has a 20Mb  HDD, 3.5" FDD, 1024Kb (1Mb) of RAM, and a black and white monitor. The original keyboard has gone but it has its own. It also has the original IBM manuals with software on 3.5" and 5.25" floppies, WordPerfect word-processing software and manuals and the original warranty, setup guide and engineers check report.

Model 30/286 Type 8530-H21

This was very kindly donated by Peter Dickinson.

Manufacturer: IBM
Date: April 1987

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH2585. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.