Neander-oppo

"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired) 08/13/2016 at 00:45 • Filed to: Respect Your Elders

2

20

35 years ago today the IBM PC was released. You can build your own below with the price list from the October ‘81 issue of Byte Magazine (see in comments as Kinja hates me tonight).

For reference, $4K would put you in the driver’s seat of a new Escort, Chevette or Tercel.

someassemblyrequired > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 00:54

0

KINJA!!

S65 > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 00:56

0

I’d rather have the Tercel

Birddog > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 00:57

1

COMMODORE FOR LIFE YOOOOoooo!!1onE1!!

someassemblyrequired > S65 08/13/2016 at 00:57

0

Yeah probably should have done a DD, Track, Burn one but the choice of which to burn seemed to easy.

someassemblyrequired > Birddog 08/13/2016 at 00:58

1

VIC 20 FTW!

Birddog > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 01:00

1

Respect to our roots!

someassemblyrequired > Birddog 08/13/2016 at 01:00

0

Load “Oppo”, 1

For Sweden > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 01:10

1

But can it play No Man’s Sky

someassemblyrequired > For Sweden 08/13/2016 at 01:12

0

maybe if you get quite a few of the the $3700 10Mb hard disks

Birddog > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 01:14

1

SYNTAX ERROR_|

someassemblyrequired > Birddog 08/13/2016 at 01:18

0

eff it, I’m playing Jupiter Lander off the cartridge.

Goggles Pizzano > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 01:19

0

#keepoppoold

Birddog > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 01:24

1

Never got to the Cartrige. The best I had was a Desktop Dyno and a painful “Flight Simulator” that worked in real time. So many hours wasted watching that blip.

someassemblyrequired > Birddog 08/13/2016 at 01:31

0

I feel ya, the only thing worth waiting for on the tape was Frogger.

Birddog > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 01:42

1

I had to wait for Colecovision for “real” games like Frogger. But at that point I was on 2 wheels. Pissed the old man off buying that Z50. An Outside Dog will always be an Outside Dog.

Sam > For Sweden 08/13/2016 at 02:45

0

Nothing can play No Man’s Sky right now.

bhtooefr > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 09:35

1

One weird thing to note is that the base $1265 machine had no video output - the cheapest config you could actually use (I put that loosely) was actually the $1265 machine plus the $300 color-graphics-monitor adapter. (Also, note how IBM didn’t sell a RGBI monitor back then, you were expected to find one on the open market, and make an adapter to connect it to your machine. Or, your authorized dealer could do that for you.)

And, a base model Apple ][ plus in 1981 was $1330 (with its (lower-end) video output and a game port on the motherboard). Granted, you’d have to add a (third party) 80 column card and some lowercase mods to the ][+, but you’d also have to add a ($55) game control adapter to the PC.

IBM really was trying to aim that machine directly at the Apple II with the pricing structure, though - note how the top base config was 48k, not the 64k that the motherboard could support.

bhtooefr > someassemblyrequired 08/13/2016 at 09:38

1

Here’s my 5155 - not an actual 5150, but the 5160/5155 wasn’t that much more advanced (more slots, loss of the cassette port, a few differences in how memory was mapped, and... uh, that’s about it): http://imgur.com/gallery/pzan6

someassemblyrequired > bhtooefr 08/13/2016 at 13:09

0

Yep and that was clearly noted at Apple, as Steve Jobs tried to hire Don Estridge as president before settling on John Sculley.

someassemblyrequired > bhtooefr 08/13/2016 at 13:13

0

Cool, these luggables are awesome. I have a late Compaq at my folks house - 286, 1mb with a 20mb hard disk and network card.