On August 12, 1981, IBM introduced the company’s “smallest, lowest-priced computer system” to date–the IBM Personal Computer. This Friday, the IBM PC will celebrate its 30th anniversary. And although IBM is no longer in the PC business, it’s worth looking back at one of Big Blue’s most notable contributions to computer history. Here’s a quick pop quiz on the IBM PC.
Check out pictures of the IBM PC in our gallery, “IBM PC celebrates 25th anniversary.”
Note: Unfortunately, our poll tool, which I use to create each pop quiz, doesn’t let me indicate a correct answer after each question. To keep from giving away the answers before everyone has a chance to test his/her knowledge, and ruining all the fun, I’ve published the answers on the last page of this blog post. I encourage everyone to answer all the questions before looking at the last page or using your favorite search engine to find the answers.
What was the IBM PC's actual IBM system identification number?
How long did it take to develop and announce the IBM PC?
The IBM PC was developed at which of the following IBM sites?
The IBM PC was powered by which of the following processors?
The base model IBM PC came with how much user memory?
What was the maximum amount of user memory on the original IBM PC?
How many expansion slots did the IBM PC have?
When launched in 1981, what was the approximate MSRP for a base model IBM PC?
True or False: The original IBM PC came with an IBM display.
Which company developed the disk operating system (DOS) for the IBM PC?
Answers are on the next page.
