Right before the announce of any significant product the manufacturer
might prepare a kit containing photographs, press releases,
etc. IBM prepared a press kit for the PCjr that included the following:
- Two large black and white photographs featuring
people
using the
PCjr.
- Two color slides, one featuring the PCjr on a white
table
with
the customary Charlie Chaplin rose and the other showing the PCjr in
use in a school setting.
- Multiple press releases, extolling the virtues of the
PCjr
as "a
versatile learning aid", as IBM's "newest, most affordable personal
computer", and as bringing "advanced features to family computing."
- A technical fact sheet that described the machine it
fairly
low
level detail, including thins like the ROM access time, the length of
the power cord, etc.
I obtained this copy of the press kit from Stan Veit, who was the
Technical Editor at "Computers and Electronics", a Ziff Davis
publication.
At the moment I've only scanned the two large pictures from the
kit. I'll be scanning the rest as I find time. (I
also need
to find a decent slide scanner for the two color slides that were part
of the kit.)
Some interesting things to note in the picture:
- The monitor featured is the IBM 5153 CGA monitor,
which was
sold
for use with the PC. All early promotional pictures for the
PCjr
feature this monitor. Apparently the PCjr color monitor was
not
ready for the product launch. If placed on top of the PCjr,
it
might not fit and it would definitely drive the diskette drive nuts
with RFI.
- This machine features the original Chiclet keyboard,
and it
is
being used without the keyboard cord. That requires that the
machine be in 'line of sight' of the keyboard.
- This machine features the parallel printer sidecar,
connected to
an IBM Graphics Printer. The IBM Compact Printer is featured
in
the press kit, but probably is not featured here because it would not
have been suitable for business use.
And in this picture ...
- Once again, the IBM 5153 Color monitor is prominently
features to
the side of the machine. The PC 5150 in back has the monitor
on
top of the system unit.
- Keyboard cords are being used in the school
environment.
Can you imagine the inteference generated by a room full of cordless
keyboards?
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