The Rise and Fall of the IBM PC Part 3: The Cloners Strike Back

Read the script with a full set of endnotes on our Substack! In this closing episode we take a look at IBM’s two pronged assault on the clone market with the launch of the the OS/2 operating system and PS/2 line of computers. Success with OS/2 would ensure that Microsoft no longer controlled the dominant operating system while success with the PS/2 line of computers would ensure that those pesky cloners would no longer be a thorn in IBM’s side. But could IBM successfully develop a new operating system that would supersede MS-DOS while also creating a successful new hardware standard that was totally incompatible with existing IBM computers AND uncloneable? 0:00 Intro 7:44 Shots Fired: The PS/2 and Micro Channel 16:24 Failure To Launch: OS/2 29:24 Consumer Response to the PS/2 35:59 The Revolt of the Clones 38:02 Consumer Response to OS/2 42:28 The PS/2 and OS/2 Legacy #OS2 #PS2