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Who Needs a Personal Computer?

Apple IIc advertisement

Apple was successful in the school market from the earliest days of the first Apple II. This fourth model in the Apple series was pitched at “preschoolers to…college hopefuls.”

Who Needs a Personal Computer?

The personal computers created by Apple and IBM were not simply new products. They invented a new product category. Apple and IBM pursued different paths in cultivating a target market.

Apple looked to schools, laying the foundation for a generation of users raised on Apple computers. It donated computers to classrooms, and arranged for an Apple II and Apple Logo package in every California school.

IBM initially targeted individual consumers, running TV ads and forging a distribution deal with Sears. Ultimately, however, IBM’s sales grew from its dominance in the business world.

IBM Personal Computer advertisement

Marketing computers to students was a new experience for IBM. They had certainly never before suggested to customers that they use them "under your favorite tree."

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