The First IBM PC - Beige, Red, Teak?

In what seems like a hundred years ago, I was part of the team at the Eliot Noyes office that developed the first IBM PC. It was 1977, I was just out of college and was a very junior member of the group. I could turn this into a very long story, and at some point I will. But I thought I would just mention here that along with many, many other design considerations, as we tried to envision how computers - up until this point big, ugly, evil, corporate machines - could possibly fit into homes. Our first prototype IBM PC was shown in three versions: beige, deep red, and teak. Teak? Yep - a real wood cabinet.

It actually wasn't too far fetched, since expensive audio systems at the time (such as Bang & Olefsen) were also housed in wood cabinets. Our first PC concept was also based on the idea that a major use of a personal computer would be entertainment - videos, games, etc. That idea was definitely far ahead of its time.

This project was so top secret at the time that I wasn't able to keep any photographs of the models. It's similar to, but not exactly like the one pictured above. If I uncover any photos I'll post them here in case anyone is interested. I do have, however, deep in my files, a wiring diagram I made of the components, as first proposed by IBM engineers. It's a rat's nest, and now probably an interesting artifact in consumer electronics history.

For more on the Eliot Noyes office, see Gordon Bruce's book, titled appropriately, Eliot Noyes.

Dan Formosa, January 14 2009