8 ms·
A bit of a tangent but I am quite impressed how Apple's marketing campaign was so effective that they've managed to redefine what PC (personal computer) means
by enlyth 5y ago
A bit of a tangent but I am quite impressed how Apple's marketing campaign was so effective that they've managed to redefine what PC (personal computer) means
- alisonkisk 5y agoPC originally meant "IBM PC desktop clone". Apple was different because it's hardware wasn't compatible with PC software (for mainstream users).
- enlyth 5y agoThe only reason I mentioned it is because OP's usage caught me off guard. Most of the time in colloquial usage I've seen PC used as an acronym to mean "computer with Windows installed as the OS", especially when being compared to Apple's products. But in this case it was used as "desktop computer", which sounded strange to me as I consider laptops, however portable, to be personal computers.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- hollerith 5y agoI agree with all of that -- and regret the recent trend of using "PC" to mean desktop as opposed to laptop -- but what does any of that have to do with Apple's marketing? You don't think Apple's marketing is behind the aforementioned recent trend; do you?
- enlyth 5y agoMy understanding was that Apple's marketing created the initial deviation from the original meaning which led to the current one, but yes seeing what other people are commenting now it's not that simple and I was wrong on my assumption
- reaperducer 5y ago"PC" was "personal computer" years before the IBM PC. Just look at old computer magazines. The whole reason the phrase "IBM PC" existed was to differentiate it from the other PCs that already existed. "IBM" was the adjective. "PC" was the noun. Because of its success in offices, "IBM PC" became just "PC" the same way other words like "omnibus" became just "bus" because it's simpler to say.
- Aaargh20318 5y agoWasn’t ‘home computer’ the generally used term before the IBM 5150 ?
- wumpus 5y agoI don't think so. Comparing use of these terms in books: https://books.archivelab.org/dateviz/?q=home+computer https://books.archivelab.org/dateviz/?q=home+computer https://books.archivelab.org/dateviz/?q=personal+computer https://books.archivelab.org/dateviz/?q=personal+computer Personal computer was used a lot more when books were eventually written about the era.
- jen20 5y agoAs far as I'm aware, the UK the phrase "microcomputer" (or simply "micro") was used before IBM-compatible machines.
- reaperducer 5y agoWasn’t ‘home computer’ the generally used term before the IBM 5150 ? "Home computer" was things like the VIC-20 and the TI-99 4/A. "Personal Computer" was machines that you had in your home or office that you didn't have to share, or timeshare with someone else. Think Cromemco, Kaypro, PET, and SuperBrain.
- chairmanmow 5y agoThis is the correct answer - and PC originally, or "Personal Computer" is more of a distinction from old school mainframe computers that lived in a lab or wherever and took up entire rooms.
- wumpus 5y ago> PC originally meant "IBM PC desktop clone". You're misremembering history. It eventually evolved into that, yes. Apple didn't really buy into that until the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" ads.
- eyelidlessness 5y agoAnd even then they still used the PowerPC chips and branding.
- wumpus 5y agoYep! Never thought about it that way, but indeed, PowerPC was a smaller not-server chip intended for personal computers.
- Shorel 5y agoBy being actual PC compatible hardware for about a decade.
- SilverRed 5y agoWhat is your definition of PC? There are about 20 definitions in regular usage.