IBM Model 30 Details
Compact IBM PS/2 designed for small business and home office use
Download Experience GuideA compact IBM PS/2 Model 30 featuring an Intel 8086 processor at 4.7MHz. This desktop system was designed for small business and home office use, offering reliable IBM quality in an affordable package. Known for its distinctive blue IBM branding and solid build quality, this machine represents IBM's effort to compete in the lower-end PC market.
Step-by-step pamphlet for hands-on demonstration
Want to interact with this legendary machine? Download our exclusive Experience Guide—a carefully crafted pamphlet that walks you through using the IBM PS/2 Model 30 just as users did in the late 1980s.
Space-efficient desktop system perfect for small business and home office environments.
Reliable IBM quality in an affordable package, maintaining dependability standards.
Represents IBM's strategic entry into the lower-end PC market segment.
Launched alongside the PS/2 Model 25 in April 1987, the IBM Model 30 represented the entry-level tier of IBM's ambitious Personal System/2 initiative. While IBM introduced revolutionary technologies like VGA graphics, 3.5" floppy drives, and PS/2 keyboard/mouse ports across the line, the Model 30 strategically retained the familiar ISA bus architecture to keep costs down and maintain compatibility with existing expansion cards.
The Model 30 occupied a crucial position in IBM's product strategy—it brought the PS/2 innovations to small businesses and home offices at an accessible price point. Unlike the higher-end PS/2 models that featured the proprietary Micro Channel Architecture, the Model 30's use of ISA bus made it a bridge between IBM's PC/XT heritage and their PS/2 future, allowing cost-conscious buyers to adopt PS/2 improvements without sacrificing compatibility or breaking the budget.
By 1987, IBM faced intense competition from clone manufacturers who had successfully reverse-engineered the PC architecture. The Model 30 represented IBM's attempt to compete on price while maintaining their quality advantage. By keeping ISA bus compatibility, IBM acknowledged the reality that their original PC bus architecture had become an industry standard they no longer controlled.
The Model 30's historical significance lies in this pragmatic approach: while IBM tried to reclaim control through proprietary MCA technology in higher-end models, the Model 30 showed they understood the need to serve price-sensitive markets with standard technologies. This dual strategy—innovative proprietary systems at the high end, compatible systems at the low end—ultimately proved unsuccessful as the industry standardized around the open ISA and later PCI architectures, but the Model 30 remains a fascinating artifact of IBM's transition from PC market leader to just another manufacturer.
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