IBM announces the IBM 5150, the first IBM PC

12th August 1981
IBM announces the IBM 5150, the first IBM PC

The IBM 5150 was the beginning of the Personal Computer as we know it today. It was launched in 1981 to try and capture part of the personal computer market that companies like Apple Computers were already beginning to master.

The IBM 5150 contained an Intel 8088 processor running at 4.77MHz and 16K RAM, and included Microsoft's 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0. It was launched at a price of £786.

The hardware and MS-DOS operating system were largely out-dated even by the standards of 1981, but the sheer size and reputation of IBM ensured that the IBM PC rapidly became a world-wide standard.

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IBM announces the IBM 5150, the first IBM PC

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