Impact was guaranteed when the decision to enter the market of #microcomputers was made by #IBM. In retrospect it wasn't their capacity of unique hardware design and outstanding software development skills that made their #PC so successful.

Of course the #BigBlue #corporation with #Sstem360 #mainframe #computers ignored niche markets like #homecomputers for most of the 1970s. As #marketleaders they did #LOL hard about #hobbyists, especially since #DEC challenged them hard with better #minicomputers.

Simultaneously, IBM built a team of young talented engineers in Boca Raton, Florida, to develop a #microcomputer in secrecy, and fast! Somehow, directors #WilliamLowe & #PhilipDonEstridge made a decision under pressure that turned out to be great for the entire market, not their employer exclusively.

Considering the time (and #$hits) given, it's only logical that they relied heavily on free available components instead of own #chipdesigns. But somehow, the lack of #IP passed their lawyers and IP team before #InternationalBusinessMachines went public.

1981, August 12th, the IBM #PC5150 changed the world of #PersonalComputers, by accident (for the better of humanity).