Researching the history of the personal computer reveals how far along we have come, since IBM launched its first personal computer, model 5150, on August 12, 1981. It was an extravagant affair held at the New York Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The New York Times’ article in August of 1981, NEXT, A COMPUTER ON EVERY DESK, boasted of a “second generation of machines” with the ability to, “…use microprocessors capable of handling 16 ”bits,” or units of information, at the same time, twice the processing power of existing 8-bit machines. ”
At 21 pounds and costing $1,565 the 5150 was a great success having much to do with a big advertising push that moved the IBM PC forward and into the limelight. 30 years later the size and cost seems laughable, but back then before we knew what the future would hold it was an amazing technological feat.
