IBM 5150
Year First Appeared
1981
Creator
William Lowe, Don Estridge, Bill Sydnes, Jack Sams, David Bradley, Mark Dean, Dennis Moeller
The IBM 5150, introduced in 1981, was IBM’s first microcomputer and the original IBM Personal Computer, built around an Intel 8088 processor and an open, expandable architecture that established the PC‑compatible standard. Launched at a starting price of $1, 565, it popularized personal computing for business and home use with options like CGA/MDA graphics and floppy or cassette storage.
Importance in Internet Culture
The PC‑compatible (“Wintel”) baseline became the default on‑ramp to the Internet: Windows 95’s built‑in TCP/IP and Dial‑Up Networking, plus commodity modems and ISA Ethernet cards, put millions online and mainstreamed the Web. Browser bundling and winsock‑based stacks on DOS/Windows turned the IBM‑PC lineage into the mass client for the early Web.
Interesting Fact
The 5150’s motherboard carried Cassette BASIC in ROM and a rear 5‑pin DIN cassette port; if no bootable disk was present, it auto‑booted into BASIC. Despite the feature, cassette storage was rarely used because most PCs shipped with floppy drives and PC‑DOS with Disk BASIC/BASICA.