<Li> IBM Personal Computer / AT </Li> <Li> IBM PC Convertible </Li> <P> The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform . It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981 . It was created by a team of engineers and designers under the direction of Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida . </P> <P> The generic term personal computer was in use before 1981, applied as early as 1972 to the Xerox PARC's Alto, but because of the success of the IBM Personal Computer, the term "PC" came to mean more specifically a desktop microcomputer compatible with IBM's Personal Computer branded products . Within a short time of the introduction, third - party suppliers of peripheral devices, expansion cards, and software proliferated and the influence of the IBM PC on the personal computer market was substantial in standardizing a platform for personal computers . "IBM compatible" became an important criterion for sales growth; after the 1980s, only the Apple Macintosh family kept a significant share of the microcomputer market without compatibility with the IBM personal computer . </P>

When did the first ibm personal computer debut