IBM announced the world’s first HDD, the 3.75MB RAMAC 350 disk storage unit, 69 years ago today
For the money, you got the assurance of the IBM brand, and ‘no one got fired for buying IBM.’ It still had the same Intel 8088 at 4.77 MHz, though, plus the same storage and monitor/CGA video configuration – and weight. However, it came with 256KB of RAM by default.
Surely, IBM’s embattled sales force welcomed even a more expensive product to show potential customers.
Despite being announced in November 1982, Compaq wouldn’t ship any of its Portables until March 1993. However, it still set the stage for the PC industry revolution ahead, and inspired customers with its bold first product being a ‘portable.’
Sadly, the Compaq brand was retired in 2013 in North America, about a decade after the firm was acquired by HP in what turned out to be a $25 billion catch-and-kill operation.
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Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
JeffreyP55 Admin said: Compaq took the wraps off its first product in November 1982, revealing the computing world's first true IBM PC clone, and an all-in-one portable model at that. It would take a year for IBM to respond. This week in 1982, Compaq announced the first true IBM PC clone — it was portable, too, as long as you were comfortable lugging 28 pounds : Read more I remember. However, I remember in my much younger days servicing 80 column keypunch machines. FSE for 10 years was a slow torturous death. Good thing I went back to school. Booked a gig at Stanford U (SLAC) for 34 years. Reply
eszklar First computer I ever used doing Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet work. Reply
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- https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/pc-building/this-week-in-1982-compaq-announced-the-first-true-ibm-pc-clone-it-was-a-portable-too-as-long-as-you-were-comfortable-lugging-28-pounds#main
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