"Misery, heartbreak, sorrow, and despair. No, I'm not talking about adolescence; I'm referring to what happens when you're stuck with a PC from Hell. Systems that were overpriced and underpowered, parts that failed two days after the warranty expired, marathon phone calls with brain-dead tech support staff - over the years we've suffered more than our share of ills, and so have millions of other innocent PC users. But picking these 10 Worst PCs of All Time wasn't as easy as it sounds."
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2006-10-08
"If you want to know why the PC was such a success, the price definitely isn't the answer."
Note that the IBM PC and his (more or less) compatible successors had a serial port, which made him capable to be used with the already existing RS-232 communication standard. So it could be used by industry. Home consumers were not the customers the original PC was aiming at primarily, but industry was. So PCs could be easily programmable devices to communicate with other computers (i. e. mainframes) and to control electronic devices (machines). So industry bought them in masses. And because of a phenomenon we all know well, people wanted to have at home what they knew from their work. :-)
Member since:2005-11-16
Note that the IBM PC and his (more or less) compatible successors had a serial port, which made him capable to be used with the already existing RS-232 communication standard. So it could be used by industry.
The IBM PC was hardly unique in this. I know that the ACT Sirius S1 that I mentioned previously had two RS-232 ports, I understand that they were common on other business computers at the time. Even the Apple II, which predated the IBM PC, had RS-232 serial ports as an option.
I think the reason that industry bought the IBM PC is primarily down to their preexisting relationship with IBM. I'm not sure typical companies even seriously considered competing products before filling their offices with the IBM PC. They'd purchased IBM typewriters and other equipment, so naturally they went and bought IBM computers.
I don't think you can really overstate just how powerful the IBM brand name was in business back then. The 'nobody ever got fired for buying IBM' effect.
Member since:
2005-11-16
It's perennial enough to be cliche. But it is usually better to be good enough at the right price than to be the best at the wrong one.
Except the IBM PC was significantly more expensive than many superior competitors. If you want to know why the PC was such a success, the price definitely isn't the answer.