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Why did IBM fail at PCs?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing July 3, 2017October 4, 20211980s, 1990s, acer, AIX, apple, compaq, datacenter, dell, hp, IBM, intel, lenovo, mainframe, Packard Bell, Personal Computer, proprietary unix, thinkpad, unix, VHS, XT

If you ask why did IBM fail, I assume you mean why did IBM ultimately fail in the personal computer market. IBM is still in business, after all. But its exit from the PC market after 24 years, including a period of dominance in the 1980s, does seem curious. And it raises another question: What does IBM do now?

I experienced IBM’s fall in this market firsthand. I sold computers at retail in 1994 and 1995. IBM’s computers at that time were no worse than anyone else’s, but I had an extremely difficult time selling them. Many consumers didn’t trust IBM and didn’t want to get somehow locked in. There was nothing wrong with those machines, but it sure was a lot easier to just sell them a Compaq.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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The IBM PS/1 (or IBM PS1)

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing June 27, 2017March 22, 20241990s, acer, amiga, apple, best buy, compaq, dell, IBM, Packard Bell, Personal Computer, playstation, sony, sony playstation, Tandy, tandy 1000, thinkpad, video game

The IBM PS/1, sometimes called the IBM PS1, was a line of 1990s personal computer systems, not to be confused with the Sony Playstation video game console that’s also often called the PS1. The PS/1 was IBM’s second attempt at a mass market consumer PC, after the ill-fated PCjr.

You can neatly divide the PS/1 into two generations. While they ran the same software, they had major philosophical differences. Perhaps more than any other computer line, they represent IBM’s change of heart in the early 1990s as it tried to survive in an extremely competitive and crowded market.

Dave Farquhar

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Lock the function keys on a Lenovo Thinkpad

Dave Farquhar Hardware September 29, 2016March 15, 2021lenovo, thinkpad, wi-fi

Depending on your age and experience with computers, you may need to find you need to lock the function keys on a Lenovo Thinkpad. Or you may find the opposite, that you need to disable the function keys on a Lenovo Thinkpad.

Here’s how to do both.

Dave Farquhar

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The missing Lenovo Thinkpad scroll lock key

Dave Farquhar Hardware May 15, 2015March 13, 2021excel, keyboard shortcuts, lenovo, thinkpad

One of my coworkers accidentally enabled scroll lock on a Lenovo Thinkpad L440 the other day, which is bad news when you do it accidentally and can’t find the missing Thinkpad scroll lock key. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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How to add a second SSD to a laptop optical bay

Dave Farquhar Hardware October 21, 2012November 30, 2018IBM, thinkpad

A longtime reader asked me recently about putting an SSD into a laptop optical bay. The idea has crossed my mind–the extra storage is increasingly more useful than the optical drive as time wears on. Thinkpad warriors have been doing this for a long time, though IBM’s caddies were a bit pricey.

It’s not an expensive project anymore, and it’s not limited to Thinkpads either. Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Microsoft just priced its Windows 8-based tablets out of the market

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 14, 2012November 19, 2018amiga, android, apple, Apple Ipad, atari, Bill Gates, commodore, commodore 128, compaq, IBM, intel, ipad, radio shack, Steve Ballmer, thinkpad, windows 8, XT

Microsoft just priced its Windows 8-based tablets out of the market.

Extremetech reports that they expect Windows 8-based tablets to sell for $600-$900. I think Microsoft is forgetting its history.
Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Lenovo and IBM look back at IBM’s PC exit

Dave Farquhar Hardware August 19, 2011July 14, 20171980s, 1990s, asus, AT&T, compaq, dell, hp, IBM, lenovo, lexmark, thinkpad, web os

The Register reports that Lenovo is gloating over its purchase of IBM’s PC division and its turnaround efforts, while IBM doesn’t regret pulling out, at all, even going so far as to call the PC dead. Who’s right?

Lenovo. Though IBM was right to get out–but the PC is only as dead as the television. Old media doesn’t go away quickly. Radio was supposed to make newspapers go away, and it’s only now, 90 years later, that newsprint is hurting. The old stuff adapts and evolves and finds new uses. Some people argue that if newspapers were managed better, they wouldn’t be hurting, but that’s a different issue. Let’s talk IBM PCs.
Read more

Dave Farquhar

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Slipstream drivers into Windows XP

Dave Farquhar Windows June 28, 2011December 3, 2021antivirus, IBM, lenovo, nlite, sp3, thinkpad, USB flash drive, Windows XP

For about a month after a new version of Windows is released, it supports just about any hardware you’re likely to throw at it. And after that, it’s not quite that easy. And once the version is end of life, it’s harder still. So here’s an easy way to slipstream drivers into Windows XP. For your retro PC that you use offline, of course. Don’t go online with this system.

I stumbled across Driverpacks back in March, and I’ve finally had a chance to spend some serious time working with them. What they mean is that if you’re willing to do some work, you can make a disc that will install Windows with functional drivers for virtually any computer in existence.

Dave Farquhar

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Upgrade and repair diary: IBM Thinkpad T30

Dave Farquhar Hardware March 20, 2011December 27, 2015CA, IBM, thinkpad, Western Digital, windows 7, Windows XP

I picked up an IBM Thinkpad T30 this week. People ask me occasionally to keep an eye out for an inexpensive used laptop, and Thinkpads from 2005 or earlier are a good choice because they’re generally well built, easy to find, and most importantly, parts and information for them are plentiful if anything goes wrong.

In the case of this particular model, that’s a good thing.

Dave Farquhar

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IBM dumping its PC business?

Dave Farquhar Hardware December 6, 2004August 16, 20181990s, Ad Lib, amd, commodore, compaq, dell, hp, IBM, ibm pcjr, intel, kmart, Packard Bell, pepsi, thinkpad, VGA

John C. Dvorak comes full circle in his column about IBM possibly dumping its PC business. He starts off saying it makes little sense, but by the end of the editorial, he has his mind made up that IBM should have done it years ago.

Of course, this was probably written before word got out that its talks are more of a joint venture or spinoff than a complete sellout.

Dave Farquhar

dfarq.homeip.net

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