The beginnings of the PC revolution (photos)

IBM launched its landmark 5150 personal computer 30 years ago Friday, and with it a new industry of component makers and software developers.

Jay Greene

Jay Greene, a CNET senior writer, works from Seattle and focuses on investigations and analysis. He's a former Seattle bureau chief for BusinessWeek and author of the book "Design Is How It Works: How the Smartest Companies Turn Products into Icons" (Penguin/Portfolio).

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Jay Greene

Aug. 11, 2011 3:59 a.m. PT

1 of 7 IBM

The original IBM 5150 with peripherals

The original IBM 5150, the personal computer that helped launch an industry, made its debut at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on August 12, 1981.

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The IBM 5150 in the office

A marketing photo of the IBM 5150 illustrated how the company wanted to push the new personal computer into the workplace.

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The father of the PC

Don Estridge, later called "the father of the PC," led the team at IBM that developed the 5150, the personal computer that sparked the PC revolution.

4 of 7 Computer History Museum

Marketing the dawn of the PC era

An advertisement for the IBM 5150 noted: "IBM believes that the age of the personal computer has arrived."

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Rapid development stoked by competitive fears

IBM sped up development of the 5150 personal computer, worried about the encroachment of the popular Apple II into homes and businesses.

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IBM partners with Microsoft

IBM turned to a young company, Microsoft, and its co-founders Paul Allen and Bill Gates, for the operating system for the 5150. This photo was shot shortly after Microsoft signed the contract with IBM. The image was featured in the Seattle Business Journal's October 19, 1981 article, "Building on success, Microsoft owners shoot for $100 million target."