45 years ago, in August 1981, the PC age began in earnest with the launch of the IBM PC Model 5150. At its heart was the Intel 8088 microprocessor, a cheaper sibling of the processor that pioneered the x86 architecture, the famed Intel 8086. Intel’s new affordability-targeted processor, its IBM PC design win, and Big Blue’s decision to allow the making of PC clones would kickstart four and a half decades of PC compatibles dominating personal computing.
It is interesting to read about why sales engineer Earl Whetstone managed to return to Intel with a signed and sealed deal for supplying the Intel 8088 (June 1979), while the superior 8086 (June 1978) was overlooked. In a nutshell, it is the economics that won it for the Intel 8088.
