View source for IBM PCjr

{{Short description|Home computer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| name = IBM PCjr
| logo = IBM PCjr wordmark.svg
| image = Ibm pcjr with display.jpg
| caption = IBM PCjr with original "chiclet" keyboard, PCjr color display, and 64&nbsp;KB memory expansion card
| developer = 
| manufacturer = [[Teledyne Technologies|Teledyne]], [[Lewisburg, Tennessee]]
| carrier = 
| family = 
| type = [[Personal computer]]
| generation = 
| releasedate = {{Start date and age|1984|03}}
| lifespan = 
| price = {{ubl|{{US$|1269|1984|round=-1}} with {{val|128|ul=KB}} memory and without monitor.<!-- this is price at initial release, not the current price.-->|{{GBP|800|1984|round=-1}} w/o disk drive.|{{CAD|1900}}}}
| discontinued = March 1985

| unitssold = 
| unitsshipped = 500,000
| media = 
| os = IBM [[PC DOS]] 2.10<!-- operating system -->
| power = 
| cpu = [[Intel 8088]] @ 4.77 MHz
| storage = 
| memory = {{val|64 |ul=KB}} base
| display = 12" TTL RGBI monitor, composite video out (TV); 160 × 200 and 320 × 200 at 16 colors, 640 × 200 at 4 colors
| graphics = [[Motorola 6845|Motorola 6845 CRTC]], IBM custom [[Video Gate Array]]
| sound = [[Texas Instruments]] [[SN76489]], PC speaker
| input = 
| location = <!-- GPS or Wi-Fi based -->
| controllers = 
| output = 
| camera = 
| touchpad = 
| connectivity = 
| service = <!-- online service/s offered -->
| dimensions = 
| weight = 
| topgame = 
| compatibility = 
| predecessor = [[IBM Personal Computer]]
| successor = [[IBM PS/1]]
| related = 
| website = 
| memory card = Cartridges, floppy disks 
}}

The '''IBM PCjr''' (pronounced "PC junior") was a [[home computer]] produced and marketed by [[IBM]] from March 1984 to May 1985, intended as a lower-cost variant of the IBM PC with hardware capabilities better suited for video games, in order to compete more directly with other home computers such as the [[Apple II]] and [[Commodore 64]].

It retained the IBM PC's [[Intel 8088|8088]] [[CPU]] and [[BIOS]] interface, but provided enhanced graphics and sound, [[ROM cartridge]] slots, built-in joystick ports, and an infrared wireless keyboard. The PCjr supported expansion via "sidecar" modules, which could be attached to the side of the unit.

Despite widespread anticipation, the PCjr was ultimately unsuccessful in the market. It was only partially [[IBM PC compatible]], limiting support for IBM's software library. Its [[chiclet keyboard]] was widely criticized for its poor quality. The PCjr also suffered from limited expandability; it was initially offered with a maximum of {{val|128|ul=KB}} of RAM, insufficient for many PC programs.

==Models==
The PCjr came in two models:

* '''4860-004''' - 64&nbsp;[[kilobyte|KB]] of memory, priced at US$669 ({{Inflation|US|669|1983|fmt=eq|r=-1}})
* '''4860-067''' - 128&nbsp;KB of memory and a 360&nbsp;KB, 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, priced at US$1,269 ({{Inflation|US|1269|1983|fmt=eq|r=-1}})

The PCjr was manufactured for IBM in [[Lewisburg, Tennessee]] by [[Teledyne Technologies|Teledyne]].

A related machine, the [[IBM JX]], was sold in the Japan, Australia and New Zealand markets.

== Hardware ==
The PCjr chassis is made entirely of plastic, unlike the all-steel chassis of the IBM PC. A 5.25" front bay allows the installation of a 180/360K floppy disk drive. The internal floppy drive was a half-height [[Qume]] 5.25" unit; IBM also used these drives in the PC Portable, but the PCjr units were specially equipped with a small fan to prevent overheating since the computer did not have a case fan.[[File:IBM PC Jr BASIC Cartridge.jpg|thumb|IBM PCjr BASIC cartridge]]

=== Cartridges ===
The front of the PCjr exposes a pair of cartridge slots in which the user can insert software on ROM cartridges, as was common with other home computers.  Each cartridge can contain up to 64 KB of ROM.<ref name=PCjrTechRef>PCjr Technical Reference, IBM Corporation</ref>  When a ROM cartridge is inserted, the machine can automatically restart and boot off of the ROM, without requiring the user to manually reboot.  This auto-restart function is an optional feature of each cartridge: a cartridge can either restart the machine or not when it is inserted, depending on the construction of the cartridge.<ref name=PCjrTechRef/>  PCjr cartridges are strictly read-only, unlike the software cartridges of some other contemporary computers and game consoles which can also be equipped with read/write memory (RAM) or I/O hardware in a straightforward way.<ref>Examples of such other machines are the Commodore 64 and the Atari 2600 (a/k/a VCS), and all or almost all later cartridge-based game consoles.</ref>

Cartridges can also replace the system BIOS and other firmware.<ref name="norton19840320">{{cite news|author=Norton, Peter|date=March 20, 1984|title=Unearthing The PCjr's Secrets|pages=111|work=PC Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1tFFnOMCvv4C&pg=PA111|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref> A number of patches from various vendors are included on a single "combo-cartridge", licensed and sold by PC Enterprises, to support add-on hardware, bypass certain limitations of design, and keep up with changing OS requirements.

=== Processor ===
Like the IBM PC, the PCjr uses an [[Intel 8088]] clocked at 4.77&nbsp;MHz.

Despite using the same CPU and clock speed, performance is often inferior to the PC, because access to system RAM is delayed by [[wait state]]s added by the Video Gate Array to synchronize shared access to RAM between the CPU and the video hardware. IBM claimed that an average of two wait states are added, but the designers of the Tandy 1000, a clone of the PCjr, claimed that six was a more accurate figure.<ref name="vose198412">{{Cite magazine|last=Vose|first=G. Michael|date=December 1984|title=The Tandy 1000|url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-12/1984_12_BYTE_09-13_Communications#page/n99/mode/2up|magazine=BYTE|pages=98–104}}</ref>

This delay only applies to software resident in the first 64 KB or 128 KB of RAM inside the system unit itself, and not to programs or data located in ROM - including software on ROM cartridges plugged into the front of the PCjr - or in additional RAM in a sidecar attachment. Under these circumstances the PCjr should run at full speed. The most common instances in which this maximum speed would be achieved are when running games or productivity applications from ROM cartridges. In fact, because the PCjr video subsystem continuously refreshes the system internal DRAM transparently, without disturbing the CPU, programs running from ROM on the PCjr may actually run slightly faster on the PCjr than on an IBM PC or XT.

===Video===
{{See also|Tandy Graphics Adapter}}
[[File:TGA-EGA-CGA graphics comparison.png|thumb|Simulation of PCjr graphics (top) compared to CGA PC graphics of the time (bottom).]]
[[File:160x200 16c ar corrected.png|Simulation of PCjr 160 × 200 mode with 16 colors|thumb]]
[[File:Ega 320x200x16 ratio.png|Simulation of PCjr 320 × 200 mode with 16 colors|thumb]]
[[File:Plantronics 640x400 corrected.png|Simulation of PCjr 640 × 200 mode with 4 colors|thumb]]

Unlike the IBM PC, which required a separate video card, the PCjr display hardware was built in to the system board. At the time, the only cards available from IBM for the PC were the monochrome [[IBM Monochrome Display Adapter|MDA]] and color [[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA]] boards. PCjr graphics were similar to CGA, with several new video modes:
* 160&nbsp;×&nbsp;200 at 16 colors
* 320&nbsp;×&nbsp;200 at 16 colors
* 640&nbsp;×&nbsp;200 at {{0}}4 colors

The primary improvement over CGA is the greater color depth. CGA could only display 4 colors in its medium-resolution mode, and 2 colors in high-resolution. The PCjr increases these to 16 and 4 colors.

Video modes on the PCjr use varying amounts of system memory: 40&nbsp;x&nbsp;25 text mode uses 1 KB, for instance, while 320&nbsp;x&nbsp;200&nbsp;x&nbsp;16 and 640&nbsp;x&nbsp;200&nbsp;x&nbsp;4 use 32 KB. These latter two modes, as well as 80&nbsp;x&nbsp;25 text mode, are referred to in documentation as "high bandwidth modes" and are unsupported on base models with only 64 KB of memory.

Multiple text or graphics pages can be used for [[Multiple buffering|page-flipping]] as long as there is enough memory, a feature missing from the CGA. The CGA also did not provide a VBLANK interrupt, making it hard to detect when the screen was beginning to be drawn, but the PCjr provides this on IRQ 5, an important feature for smooth page-flipping.

The video system also has a "blink" feature which toggles the palette between the first and second groups of eight palette registers at the same rate used for the PCs blinking text attribute, and a palette bit-masking feature that can be used to switch between palette subsets without reprogramming palette registers.

Unlike CGA, PCjr has palette registers which allow the colors in all modes to be chosen from the full 16-color RGBI palette. When the BIOS is used to set a video mode, it sets up the palette table to emulate the CGA color palette for that mode. Programs specifically written to use PCjr graphics can subsequently reprogram the palette table to use any colors desired. Palette changes must be made during horizontal or [[vertical blanking]] periods of a video frame in order to avoid disrupting the display (transiently during the palette change).

The monitor included with the PCjr is a 12" TTL RGBI display like those supported by the CGA, but including an internal amplified speaker. Also like CGA, the PCjr supported [[composite video]] out for use with a TV or composite monitor.

A [[Motorola 6845]] CRTC like the one used in the MDA and CGA adapters, and a custom IBM chip called the [[Video Gate Array]] (VGA) constitute the bulk of the PCjr video hardware.<ref name="vga">VGA should not be confused with the later [[Video Graphics Array]] standard that IBM released with the [[PS/2]] line in 1987.</ref>{{r|nortonpcjrvideo19840124}} Several discrete standard logic devices complete the video subsystem.<ref>In comparison, the circuitry of the IBM CGA consists of an MC6845 and dozens of standard logic devices; the VGA replaces most of those and a good number more that would have been required to implement the enhanced features, so that the PCjr video subsystem could not have fit on a single-board IBM PC adapter card.</ref> The 6845 is responsible for the basic raster timing and video data address sequencing, and the Video Gate Array contains all the additional timing logic, video data demultiplexing logic, color processing logic, and programmable palette table logic, as well as the logic for multiplexing RAM access between the 8088 CPU and the video generation circuitry.  For programming, the CRTC is generally compatible with the CGA at the hardware register level.  Some other CGA programming details, in particular the Mode Control Register and the Color Select Register (at I/O addresses 3D8h and 3D9h respectively), are not compatible, as the PCjr provides the equivalent functionality through different registers inside the Video Gate Array which are accessed in a completely different manner through a single I/O address (3DAh).

The 6845 CRTC and the VGA together are responsible for refreshing the internal DRAM of the PCjr, which complicates the process of switching video modes on the PCjr. Resetting the VGA, which must be done during certain video mode switches, must be done by code not running from the system RAM controlled by the VGA, and if the CRTC or the VGA is disabled for too long, the contents of the internal RAM can be lost. Additional external DRAM (in sidecar expansion modules) is refreshed independently and never affected by a video mode switch.

Of the three new modes, 160&nbsp;x&nbsp;200&nbsp;x&nbsp;16 mode has the same layout as CGA graphics modes; the odd and even scanlines are stored in the first and second half of the video buffer, each half being 8k in size, and every four bits represents one pixel. The 320&nbsp;x&nbsp;200&nbsp;x&nbsp;16 and 640&nbsp;x&nbsp;200&nbsp;x&nbsp;4 modes have four blocks of scanlines; every four or two bits respectively represents a pixel.

Since the PCjr uses the main system RAM for the video buffer, less memory is available for software than on a standard PC, which has separate dedicated video memory in the A000h-BFFFh segments, above conventional memory.<ref>In other words, an IBM PC XT system with 128 KB of main RAM and a CGA installed actually has a total of 128 + 16 = 144 KB of RAM overall, while a PCjr with 128 KB RAM actually has exactly 128 KB of RAM overall, some part of which must be used for the video (in normal use, where the video is not turned off).  The CGA standard graphics modes and 160x200 16-color graphics mode each need (almost) 16 KB of RAM, while the text modes need only 2000 (for 40x25) or 4000 (for 80x25) bytes of RAM, but the two enhanced graphics modes each use (nearly) 32 KB of RAM.  This means that a 128 KB PCjr in an enhanced graphics mode is like a PC XT with 96 KB of main RAM and an enhanced CGA card (such as the Plantronics card, which also has 32 KB of RAM).  If the PCjr video is double-buffered for page-flipping (not a possibility on the CGA in normal modes, except text modes), then both 32 KB video buffers are subtracted from the available system RAM, making the 128 KB PCjr like a PC XT with only 64 KB of main RAM.</ref>


===Sound===
[[File:IBM PCB Jr Internal.jpg|thumb|IBM PCjr internals|alt=]]The PCjr's sound is provided by a [[Texas Instruments]] [[SN76496]] which can produce three square waves of varying amplitude and frequency along with a noise channel powered by a [[shift register]].<ref name="nortonpcjraudio19840124">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSzKzjWHeVEC&pg=PA137 | title=Sound Abilities: The PCjr | work=PC Magazine | date=January 24, 1984 | access-date=October 23, 2013 | author=Norton, Peter | pages=137}}</ref> It is similar to the [[programmable sound generator]] chips used in game consoles such as the [[Master System]]. The PCjr design also allows for an analog sound source in an expansion-bus "sidecar" module, and a software-controlled internal analog switch can select the source for the sound output from among the [[PC speaker]], the SN76489, the cassette port, or the expansion-bus sound source. Only one sound source can be selected at a time; the sources cannot be mixed.

===Keyboard / Lightpen===
[[File:Living Computer Museum IMG 0034 (9639456054) (cropped).jpg|thumb|The wireless PCjr keyboard]]
The original keyboard included with the PCjr was a wireless design using infrared line-of-sight communication, which IBM initially marketed as the "Freeboard."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eJxx_ZGKngC&q=ibm%20freeboard&pg=PA25|title=PC Mag|date=1984-04-17|publisher=Ziff Davis, Inc.|language=en}}</ref> This is a [[chiclet keyboard]] with small, flat, calculator style plastic keycaps. The keycaps are blank, with the labels printed between keys so that [[Keyboard layout|overlays]] can be used.{{r|halfhill198401}} The PCjr keyboard has 62 keys rather than the 83 of the PC keyboard, and the remaining keys must be entered by holding a modifier key.{{r|halfhill198401}}{{r|pollack19831102}}

For infrared wireless operation, the keyboard is powered by four AA cells. Certain types of room lighting can cause interference with the infrared keyboard sensor,<ref name="nichols20140322">{{cite web|author=Nichols, Shaun|date=March 22, 2014|title=IBM PCjr STRIPPED BARE: We tear down the machine Big Blue would rather you forgot|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/22/ibm_pcjr_stripped_bare_still_mediocre_after_all_these_years/|access-date=April 1, 2014|website=The Register}}</ref> and multiple keyboards cannot be used wirelessly in the same room without problems.<ref name="lgr20110117">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbSto9irCoE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/MbSto9irCoE| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=LGR - Experiencing The IBM PCjr Chiclet Keyboard|date=January 17, 2011|people=Lazy Game Reviews|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

IBM sold a cable which could be plugged in between the keyboard and computer if the user wanted a more reliable connection, which also eliminated the need for batteries, since the keyboard IR receiver is automatically disabled when the cord is attached to the computer.

The chiclet design was not well received, and in 1984 IBM began shipping a new design, still wireless, but using more conventionally shaped keycaps.{{r|halfhill198410}}

The PCjr also has a [[light pen]] port. Besides being used for a light pen (a rarely purchased option), this port can be used in combination with the serial port to supply voltage to a [[Mouse Systems]] optical mouse of the same design as those for [[Sun Microsystems|Sun workstations]].

=== Expansion ===
[[File:PCjr.twinSCSI.jpg|thumb|A PCjr featuring most upgrades available from PC Enterprises, including combo cartridge, dual floppies, twin ST-225 HDDs (bootable via [[Future Domain]] firmware hidden under cover on right). Replacement keyboard sits on top of the Taxan RGB monitor. System is showing "Battlechess".]]
The back of the machine does not have any expansion slots. Instead, several permanently mounted, proprietary connectors provide attachment to many built-in hardware capabilities, which replaced many of the features that PC expansion cards provided, including:

* Graphics hardware
* Multichannel sound
* Joystick ports
* Lightpen interface
* Serial port
* Cassette interface

Internally the PCjr did have expansion slots to support specific upgrades: a RAM upgrade, a modem, and a floppy drive.

On the right side of the machine, the system bus was exposed for use with "sidecars," upgrade modules which attached to the side of the machine. Third-party manufacturers produced a number of expansion units for the PCjr.<ref>{{Cite web|title=IBM PCjr Options and Accessories|url=https://www.brutman.com/PCjr/pcjr_options.html|access-date=2020-10-04|website=www.brutman.com}}</ref>

==Software==
The primary OS for the PCjr was PC DOS, like the IBM PC, and it supported a large amount of PC software, with some incompatibilities.

PC DOS 2.10 is the minimum version of DOS required for the PCjr. IBM's OEM versions of MS-DOS supported the machine up to DOS 3.30, but memory expansion was required for DOS 3.20 and 3.30.

Like the original PC, the PCjr has BASIC in ROM, but includes [[IBM BASIC#IBM PCjr Cartridge BASIC|Cartridge BASIC]] instead of Cassette BASIC. In addition to cartridge support, it extended the standard IBM BASIC with commands to support the new video and audio functionality.<ref name="nortonpcjrvideo19840124">{{cite news|author=Norton, Peter|date=January 24, 1984|title=Screening the PCjr's Color, Video, And Memory Options|pages=128|work=PC Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSzKzjWHeVEC&pg=PA128|access-date=October 23, 2013}}</ref>{{r|nortonpcjraudio19840124}} The system will boot into Cartridge BASIC if no cartridge or boot disk is present.<ref name=levy198501>{{Cite magazine |last=Levy |first=Steven |date=January 1985 |title=The Life and Times of PC junior |url=https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-1985-01/page/n94/mode/2up/search/smell |magazine=Popular Computing |page=92 |access-date=2020-03-12}}</ref>

=== Compatibility ===
The register mapping of the PCjr's video hardware is different from the IBM CGA card, so software that tries to modify or read registers directly will not work. The PCjr has a "gate" register to which software writes the number of the video register to be accessed, followed by the value to be written into it. Alteration of other CRTC registers cannot be assumed to produce the same results from the PCjr video system as from the CGA.

Programs for the CGA that manipulate the CRTC start address, and that rely on address wrap-around above address 0xBC000, may not work correctly on the PCjr because it always has a 32&nbsp;KB contiguous block of RAM in the video area from address 0xB8000 through 0xBFFFF. The PCjr's video memory cannot be moved above 128k if expansion memory is added, so some PC software that ran off of self-booting disks would not work on a PCjr if the software required more than 128k of RAM.<ref name="norton19840626">{{cite news|author=Norton, Peter|date=June 26, 1984|title=Adding to Junior's Memory|pages=98|work=PC Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IGkuDrOYjOcC&pg=PA98|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref>{{r|norton19840320}}

The floppy controller on the PCjr also had its I/O registers mapped into different ports than on the PC, and since the PCjr did not have [[Direct memory access|DMA]], the BIOS routines for handling floppy access were different and more complex than those on the PC. Software that tried to perform direct, low-level disk access (mainly utilities, but also the occasional game such as ''Dunzhin: Warrior of Ras'') would not work unless it was rewritten for the PCjr.

==History==
IBM's first home computer was the PC, released in 1981. Within two years the PC had created a large new ecosystem of hardware and software, nearly leading the home computer market<ref name="pollack19830327">{{Cite news |last=Pollack |first=Andrew |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/27/business/big-ibm-has-done-it-again.html |title=Big I.B.M. Has Done It Again |date=1983-03-27 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-03-16 |page=Section 3, Page 1 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="ap19831102">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3360529// | title=Analysts say: IBM's PCjr won't disrupt Christmas for competitors | work=Santa Cruz Sentinel | date=November 2, 1983 | agency=Associated Press | access-date=October 6, 2015 | pages=B-5}}</ref>{{r|nyt19831102}}<ref name="time19831107">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949869,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122161630/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C949869%2C00.html |archive-date=November 22, 2008 |title=D-Day for the Home Computer |access-date=February 23, 2011 |author1=Moritz, Michael |author2=John Greenwald |author3=Frederick Ungeheuer |date=November 7, 1983 |magazine=Time |url-status=dead }}</ref> with 26% of all microcomputers sold in 1983, second only to the much less expensive [[Commodore 64]].<ref name="reimer20091102">{{cite web | url=http://www.jeremyreimer.com/postman/node/329 | title=Total Share: Personal Computer Market Share 1975–2005 | access-date=March 15, 2011 | author=Reimer, Jeremy | date=November 2, 2009 | publisher=Jeremy Reimer's Blog}}</ref>

For a year before the PCjr's announcement, the computer industry discussed rumors of a new IBM product, code named "Peanut", that would repeat the PC's success. The rumors described Peanut as a home computer with {{val|64|u=kB}} of memory that would be [[IBM PC compatible]], benefit from IBM's service network and, at {{US$|600}} to {{US$|lang=no|1000}}, be less expensive than the [[Apple IIe]]. IBM repeatedly denied these rumors,<ref name="byte198311">{{cite news|author=Curran, Lawrence J.|last2=Shuford, Richard S.|date=November 1983|title=IBM's Estridge|pages=88–97|work=BYTE|url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1983-11/1983_11_BYTE_08-11_Inside_the_IBM_PC#page/n89/mode/2up|access-date=March 19, 2016}}</ref>{{r|time19831107}}<ref name="maceiie19840409" />{{r|time19850401}} but customers visited stores attempting to buy the product and rivals' revenue, product plans, and share prices reacted to the officially nonexistent computer in what the press called "Peanut Panic" or "The Great Peanut Roast".{{r|pollack19830327}}<ref name="pollack19830619">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/19/business/the-coming-crisis-in-home-computers.html?pagewanted=all | title=The Coming Crisis in Home Computers | work=The New York Times | date=June 19, 1983 | access-date=January 19, 2015 | author=Pollack, Andrew}}</ref><ref name="greenwald19830711">{{Cite magazine |last=Greenwald |first=John |date=1983-07-11 |title=The Colossus That Works |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949693-2,00.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription | magazine=TIME |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514004334/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949693-2,00.html |archive-date=2008-05-14 |access-date=2019-05-18}}</ref>

By September 1983, books and magazine articles on Peanut were ready for publishing, with only a few changes needed once the still officially nonexistent computer appeared. Software companies prepared to market products as "Peanut compatible" with the computer of which, rumors said, IBM would produce 500,000 units in the first year. ''[[Adweek]]'' estimated that IBM would spend {{US$|long=no|75 million}} on marketing, including an alleged license of [[Charles Schulz]]'s [[Peanuts]] characters. ''Smalltalk'' magazine in August published a detailed article on the computer, stating that it would cost {{US$|long=no|600}} plus {{US$|long=no|400}} for a disk drive, use a color TV as a display, and have a standard typewriter keyboard.<ref name="esd19830927">{{Cite news |last=Sandberg-Diment |first=Erik |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/27/science/personal-computers-is-the-ibm-peanut-really-in-the-wings.html |title=Personal Computers; Is the I.B.M. Peanut Really in the Wings? |date=September 27, 1983 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 14, 2017 |page=C5 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Announcement===
IBM announced the PCjr on November 1, 1983, at its [[590 Madison Avenue|New York City headquarters]] with an enormous amount of advance publicity, including live news coverage of the event.<ref name="ruby198402" /><ref name="halfhill198401">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1984-01-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_044_1984_Jan#page/n45/mode/2up | title=IBM's New PCjr | work=Compute! | date=January 1984 | access-date=October 30, 2013 | author=Halfhill, Tom R. | pages=44}}</ref>

Experts predicted, according to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', that the PCjr would "quickly become the standard by which all other home computers are measured"<ref name="wp19831106">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3360554// | title=IBM PCjr leads the way for industry | work=The Pantagraph | date=November 6, 1983 | agency=The Washington Post | access-date=October 6, 2015 | pages=E6}}</ref> and estimated sales of one million or more in 1984,<ref name="pollack19831102">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/02/business/the-debut-of-ibm-s-junior.html?pagewanted=all | title=The Debut of I.B.M.'S Junior | access-date=February 25, 2011 | author=Pollack, Andrew | date=November 2, 1983 | work=The New York Times}}</ref> expecting the PCjr to change the home-computer market in a similar way to how the IBM PC had changed the business-microcomputer market.<ref name="ruby198402" /><ref name="mccarroll19841224">{{cite magazine|author1=McCarroll, Thomas|author2=Philip Elmer-DeWitt|date=December 24, 1984|title=A Flop Becomes a Hit|magazine=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951424,00.html|url-status=dead|access-date=February 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514070332/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C951424%2C00.html|archive-date=May 14, 2009}}</ref>{{r|halfhill198401}} They predicted that the PCjr would extend IBM's dominance, with customers able to use the company's computers in the home and in the office.<ref name="burton198303">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7wCiNAUEuAMC | title=Anatomy of a Colossus, Part III | work=PC | date=Mar 1983 | access-date=March 30, 2014 | author=Burton, Kathleen | pages=467}}</ref>{{r|nyt19831102}}{{r|wp19831106}} [[Texas Instruments]] left the market four days before IBM's announcement, after losing {{US$|223 million}} in nine months against Commodore{{r|ap19831102}}{{r|time19831107}}<ref name="maceti19831121">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uy8EAAAAMBAJ&q=ibm+peanut&pg=PA22 | title=TI retires from home-computer market | access-date=February 25, 2011 | author=Mace, Scott | date=November 21, 1983 | work=InfoWorld | pages=22, 27}}</ref> by selling its [[TI-99/4A|99/4A]] for as low as {{US$|long=no|99}}.<ref name="cook19840306">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZhoP0KRkQe4C | title=Jr. Sneaks PC into Home | work=PC Magazine | date=March 6, 1984 | access-date=October 24, 2013 | author=Cook, Karen | pages=35}}</ref>

Developers began creating PCjr software in 1982.{{r|maher20130718}} [[Sierra On-Line]], [[Software Publishing Corporation|SPC]], and [[The Learning Company]] were among those that produced games, productivity, and educational software as [[Launch game|launch titles]],{{r|pollack19831102}}{{r|wiswell19840124}} using detailed IBM production outlines{{r|rosenberg19840424}} <ref name="sanger19840422">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/22/business/the-heady-world-of-ibm-suppliers.html |title=The Heady World of I.B.M. Suppliers |last=Sanger |first=David E. |date=April 22, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 2, 2017 | page=Section 3, Page 1 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |author-link=David E. Sanger}}</ref> under a policy of strictly enforced security.<ref name="rosenberg19840424">{{Cite news |title=The Secret World of IBM |last=Rosenberg |first=Ronald |date=April 24, 1984 |work=The Boston Globe}}</ref>

The PCjr's graphics and sound features were superior to the PC's,{{r|nortonpcjraudio19840124}}{{r|shea19840312}}{{r|pollack19831102}} and ''PC Magazine'' speculated that "the PCjr might be the best game machine ever designed".<ref name="wiswell19840124">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSzKzjWHeVEC&pg=PA142 | title=Coming Soon: Games For The PCjr | work=PC | date=January 24, 1984 | access-date=January 26, 2015 | author=Wiswell, Phil | pages=142–145}}</ref> Prominent among launch titles was Sierra's [[graphical adventure]] ''[[King's Quest I]]'', much of whose {{US$|long=no|850000}} budget was paid by IBM.<ref name="maher20130718">{{cite web | url=http://www.filfre.net/2013/07/the-unmaking-and-remaking-of-sierra-on-line/ | title=The Unmaking and Remaking of Sierra On-Line | publisher=The Digital Antiquarian | date=July 18, 2013 | access-date=February 5, 2015 | author=Maher, Jimmy}}</ref>

=== Release and reception ===
[[File:PCjr chiclet.gif|thumb|right|300px|The PCjr's chiclet keyboard was unpopular.<ref name="sandler19840221">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCIvSU6Y2GAC |title=A Secret Inside The ROM |work=PC Magazine |date=February 21, 1984 |access-date=October 24, 2013 |author=Sandler, Corey |pages=323}}</ref>]]

The PCjr was released in March 1984, missing the 1983 Christmas sales season due to production delays.<ref name="nyt19831102">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/02/business/ibm-s-speedy-redirection.html |title=I.B.M.'S Speedy Redirection |access-date=February 25, 2011 |date=November 2, 1983 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>{{r|marcom19840222}}{{r|time19840402}}{{r|time19850401}}

Even prior to release, anticipation of the machine was mixed. [[Ziff Davis]], publisher of the successful ''PC Magazine'', printed the first issue of ''PCjr Magazine'' before the first units shipped, and competing [[computer magazine]]s included ''Peanut'', ''PCjr World'',<ref name="nyt19831109">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/09/business/boom-in-computer-magazines.html |title=Boom in Computer Magazines |access-date=February 25, 2011 |date=November 9, 1983 |work=The New York Times }}</ref> ''jr'', and ''[[Compute!]] for the PC and PCjr''.<ref name="bartimo19841210">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=si4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35 |title=Magazines Woo Users |access-date=March 14, 2011 |author=Bartimo, Jim |date=December 10, 1984 |pages=35–36 |work=InfoWorld}}</ref> However, as new information became available about the machine, retailers became deeply concerned about its marketability.<ref name="dvorak19831128">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sy8EAAAAMBAJ |title=Inside Track |work=InfoWorld |date=November 28, 1983 |access-date=March 23, 2016 |author=Dvorak, John C. |pages=188}}</ref>

When the PCjr became widely available in March 1984<ref name="freiberger19840109_16">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ey4EAAAAMBAJ |title=IBM indicates March as likely PCjr delivery date |work=InfoWorld |date=January 9–16, 1984 |access-date=February 4, 2015 |author=Freiberger, Paul |pages=20}}</ref> sales were below expectations. Consumer interest was reportedly high until demonstration machines were available, at which point interest dropped steeply.{{r|marcom19840222}} Dealers reported that consumers disliked the price, keyboard, and limited memory,{{r|nyt19840420}} and retailers that sold primarily to business customers did not know how to market it.<ref name="mcmullen19840221">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UCIvSU6Y2GAC&pg=PA120 |title=Apple Charts The Course For IBM |work=PC Magazine |date=1984-02-21 |access-date=24 October 2013 |author=McMullen, Barbara E. and John F. |page=122}}</ref>

The press soon reported that the PCjr could embarrass IBM, with executives reportedly worrying about demand. Stores began discounts while vendors slowed plans to release products.{{r|richter19840328}}<ref name="zientara19840409" /><ref name="sanger19840517">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/17/business/ibm-s-problems-with-junior.html?pagewanted=all |title=I.B.M.'s Problems with Junior |access-date=February 25, 2011 |author=Sanger, David E. |date=May 17, 1984 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> IBM admitted that demand for the PCjr was not growing as rapidly as expected.<ref name="nyt19840420">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/20/business/pcjr-sales-less-than-expected.html |title=PCjr Sales Less Than Expected |date=1984-04-20 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-03-11 |page=D3 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By May 1984 it had only sold 10,000 units, while other companies were reported to be slow in developing software for the system.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=IBM's Peanut getting lukewarm response |magazine=MicroTimes |publisher=BAM Publications Inc. |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=May 1984 |page=5}}</ref>

In response to the surprising lack of interest, IBM began early discounts of up to {{US$|370}}<ref name="winter19850324">{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1985/03/24/page/79/article/behind-the-short-unhappy-life-of-ibms-junior |title=Behind the short, unhappy life of IBM's Junior |work=Chicago Tribune |date=March 24, 1985 |access-date=April 29, 2015 |author=Winter, Christine |pages=Section 7, Page 3}}</ref> in June, lowering the two models' prices to {{US$|long=no|599}} and {{US$|long=no|999}},<ref name="bulman19841105">{{Cite news |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/31277231/fort_lauderdale_news/ |title=Big time: IBM skillfully revives lackluster sales of PCjr |last=Bulman |first=Philip |date=1984-11-05 |work=Fort Lauderdale News |access-date=2019-05-05 |page=47 |language=en}}</ref> but many of its dealers could not sell their initial shipments of 25 computers each.{{r|marcom19840222}}{{r|bulman19841105}} IBM allowed them to postpone paying for inventory for 180 days,<ref name="pollack19850120">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/20/business/the-daunting-power-of-ibm.html |title=The Daunting Power of I.B.M. |last=Pollack |first=Andrew |date=January 20, 1985 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 3, 2017 |page=A1 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but inventory continued to pile up.<ref name="time19840402">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,954205-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609012541/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C954205%2C00.html |archive-date=June 9, 2008 |title=The Peanut Meets the Mac |access-date=February 23, 2011 |author1=McCarroll, Thomas |author2=Michael Moritz |author3=Philip Elmer-DeWitt |date=April 2, 1984 |magazine=Time |url-status=dead }}</ref> By August the PCjr was being described as a flop.<ref name="mace19840813">{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GS8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38pg |title=PCjr: Back to Basics |work=InfoWorld |date=August 13, 1984 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |author=Mace, Scott |pages=38}}</ref><ref name="mccarroll19841224" />

In 2006 [[PCWorld]] ranked the IBM PCjr as 13th "worst tech products of all time".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/535838/worst_products_ever.html |title=The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time |first=Dan |last=Tynan |publisher=[[PCWorld]] |accessdate=2025-03-16 |date=2006-05-26}}</ref>

=== Issues ===
One of the most significant complaints about the PCjr was its chiclet keyboard,{{r|pollack19831102}}{{r|sanger19840422}} which was described as unsuitable for serious typing{{r|pollack19831102}} and "nearly useless."<ref name="nyt19840821">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/21/science/personal-computer-keyboard-is-a-stroke-of-genius.html | title=Keyboard is a Stroke of Genius | work=The New York Times | date=August 21, 1984 | access-date=July 31, 2014 | author=Sandberg-Diment, Erik}}</ref> The lack of direct function keys was a pain point for word processing.{{r|dickinsondw19840918}}

==== Cost ====
The PCjr's cost was its biggest disadvantage, even more so than the keyboard.<ref name="time19840402" /> The price point was perceived as too high for a home computer, but not powerful enough for a business machine.{{r|marcom19840222}} IBM's lack of clear messaging on their target market (home, schools, or executives working at home) made it difficult for software developers, consumers,<ref name="wierzbicki19831219">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5C8EAAAAMBAJ | title=Developers embrace PCjr despite drawbacks | access-date=February 25, 2011 | author=Wierzbicki, Barbara | date=December 19, 1983 | work=InfoWorld}}</ref>{{r|ap19850321}} and dealers{{r|mcmullen19840221}} to prepare for the product. The price point was perceived as targeting a market that did not exist.{{r|sanger19840517}} IBM was surprised to learn that many of the initial customers for the PCjr were not home users as they assumed, but instead businesses who wanted a cheaper PC that took less space on a desk.

IBM failed to recognize that many consumers wanted a computer more sophisticated than those that cost less than {{US$|long=no|500}}, but did not want to spend more than {{US$|long=no|1000}}.{{r|ap19850321}} The PCjr offered no compelling reason to spend that much.<ref name="rosenberg19840228">{{Cite news |title=Doubts Raised About PCjr |last=Rosenberg |first=Ronald |date=February 28, 1984 |work=The Boston Globe}}</ref> The PCjr cost more than twice as much as the C64 and the [[Atari 8-bit computers]], while inferior to both for videogames.{{r|pollack19831102}}{{r|lima19841203}} Spinnaker, a game developer, stated that they discontinued development for the PCjr when they learned of the actual price.<ref name="ap19850321">{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31243737/poughkeepsie_journal/ |title=The runner stumbles: IBM pulls back from troubled PCjr |date=1985-03-21 |work=Poughkeepsie Journal |access-date=2019-05-05 |agency=Associated Press |page=7 |language=en}}</ref>

Consumers were reportedly much more excited about the also-new [[Macintosh 128K]], which was more sophisticated but only cost {{US$|300}} more, with accessories and software.{{r|time19840402}}<ref name="marcom19840222">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3360489// | title=IBM's PCjr receives a cool reception | work=Santa Cruz Sentinel | date=February 22, 1984 | agency=Wall Street Journal | access-date=October 6, 2015 | author=Marcom, John Jr. | pages=B-5}}</ref> The Macintosh reportedly outsold the IBM product during their first two months on the market.<ref name="richter19840328">{{Cite news |url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/31276226/the_cincinnati_enquirer/ |title=Macintosh Takes Lead In Sales Race |last=Richter |first=Paul |date=1984-03-28 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=2019-05-05 |agency=Los Angeles Times |pages=B-1, B-2 |language=en}}</ref> The PCjr's price was close to that of the Coleco Adam, but the Adam also included a [[tape drive]], a printer, and software.{{r|time19831107}} A realistic cost including peripherals was {{US$|long=no|2000}}<ref name="esd19831227">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/27/science/personal-computers-the-little-ibm-finally-arrives-for-a-test.html |title=Personal Computers: The Little I.B.M. Finally Arrives for a Test |last=Sandberg-Diment |first=Erik |date=December 27, 1983 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 2, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{r|levy198501}} and other configurations cost $3,000 or more.<ref name="ruby198402">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nQAAAAAAMBAJ&q=peanut+ibm+pcjr&pg=PA68 | title=IBM's PCjr&mdash;was it worth the wait? | access-date=February 24, 2011 | author=Ruby, Daniel | date=February 1984 | work=Popular Science | pages=68–71}}</ref><ref name="manes19850528">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDlmJxSURq8C | title=Junior and Edsel: Two of A Kind Together At Last! | work=PC Magazine | date=1985-05-28 | access-date=28 October 2013 | author=Manes, Stephen | pages=67}}</ref>{{r|levy198501}}

The IIe was the PCjr's most direct competition.{{r|richter19840328}}{{r|zientara19840409}}<ref name="ryan198407">{{Cite magazine |last=Ryan |first=Bob |date=July 1984 |title=The newest member of the family goes head to head with the PCjr. |url=https://archive.org/stream/inCider_84-07#page/n59/mode/2up |magazine=InCider |pages=60–63}}</ref> Although the PC outsold it{{r|maceiie19840409}} Apple sold almost 110,000 units in December 1983, in part to customers who had waited until details of the PCjr became available.<ref name="pollack19840116">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/16/business/apple-expands-product-line.html |title=Apple Expands Product Line |last=Pollack |first=Andrew |date=January 16, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 2, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Apple estimated that 80% of its dealers sold IBM and Apple computers, and many visitors who were disappointed by the PCjr, or curious about the Macintosh, reportedly left with a IIe instead. The latter was so popular that a shortage occurred in early 1984.<ref name="maceiie19840409">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA54 | title=Apple IIe Sales Surge as IIc is Readied | work=InfoWorld | date=April 9, 1984 | access-date=February 4, 2015 | author=Mace, Scott | pages=54–55}}</ref>

The {{US$|669}} PCjr model compared favorably to a {{US$|long=no|1400}} IIe also with {{val|64|u=kB}} and no floppy drive,<ref name="pollack19831102" />{{r|wierzbicki19831219}} but Apple lowered their computer's price<ref name="time19840402" /> as part of a "Starter System" package, with monitor and floppy drive, to a price as low as {{US$|long=no|1300}},{{r|maceiie19840409}} plus a 30% discount for the important education market.<ref name="infoworld19831121">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uy8EAAAAMBAJ&q=ibm+peanut&pg=PA21 | title=Industry reacts to PCjr | access-date=February 25, 2011 |author1=Mace, Scott |author2=Paul Freiberger | date=November 21, 1983 | pages=21–22 | work=InfoWorld}}</ref> In April 1984 Apple introduced the [[Apple IIc]], a portable version with a more compact form factor, {{val|128|u=kB}} of RAM, and a floppy drive. Although the PCjr's CPU was superior, the IIc—which Apple did not describe as a home computer, to avoid the "game machine" connotation—had an excellent keyboard and was compatible with the Apple II's enormous software library.<ref name="winter19840424">{{cite news | url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/04/24/page/37/article/apple-aiming-to-take-bite-out-of-ibm | title=Apple aiming to take bite out of IBM | work=Chicago Tribune | date=April 24, 1984 | access-date=April 29, 2015 | author=Winter, Christine | pages=Section 3, Page 1}}</ref>{{r|sanger19840517}}<ref name="miller198407">{{cite news | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n7/116_Apple_announces_the_IIc.php | title=Apple announces the IIc | access-date=March 17, 2011 | author=Miller, George A. | date=July 1984 | work=Creative Computing | pages=116}}</ref><ref name="ah08">{{cite web | url=http://apple2history.org/history/ah08/ | title=The Apple IIc | access-date=February 25, 2011 | work=Apple II History| date=June 23, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="hayes19840424">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/24/business/apple-is-banking-on-new-portable-the-iic-computer.html | title=Apple is Banking on New Portable: The IIc Computer | work=The New York Times | date=April 24, 1984 | access-date=January 5, 2015 | author=Hayes, Thomas C.}}</ref>

====Compatibility====
By early 1984, PC compatibility was vital for any new, non-Apple computer's success.<ref name="clapp19840227">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gy4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22 | title=PC compatibility | work=InfoWorld | date=February 27, 1984 | access-date=January 18, 2015 | author=Clapp, Doug | pages=22}}</ref> IBM had expected that most customers in the market would be new to computers, but 75% of the market were familiar with computers and wanted to run business software on the PCjr.<ref name="sanger19850707">{{Cite news |last=Sanger |first=David E. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/07/magazine/the-changing-image-of-ibm.html |title=The Changing Image of I.B.M. |date=1985-07-07 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-03-11 |page=Section 6, Page 13 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> An important market was executives who took data home to work on applications such as [[Lotus 1-2-3]] and Peanut had been rumored to be fully PC compatible,{{r|greenwald19830711}} so many customers visited stores believing that the PCjr could run most PC software.{{r|marcom19840222}}{{r|time19840402}}{{r|sanger19840517}}{{r|nyt19831102}}<ref name="gantz19831128">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sy8EAAAAMBAJ | title=Heard on Tech Street | work=InfoWorld | date=November 28, 1983 | access-date=January 13, 2015 | author=Gantz, John | pages=186}}</ref>

IBM's intent was for the PCjr to be perceived as a unique platform, like most other home computers, and their documentation stated it was "a different computer than the PC", but with "a high level of programming compatibility."<ref name="ibm198311">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/stream/IbmPcjrTechnicalReference#page/n317/mode/2up|title=IBM Personal Computer PCjr Hardware Reference Library / Technical Reference|publisher=IBM|year=1983|pages=4–1 to 4–11}}</ref> Nonetheless, potential customers perceived it as a variant of the PC, not a unique platform.<ref name="sanger19850118">{{cite news|author=Sanger, David E.|date=January 18, 1985|title=Computer Giant Finds Problems in Success|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/18/business/computer-giant-finds-problems-in-success.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref> While many PC applications would run, specific compatibility issues existed with software that used more than 128K of RAM or required more than one floppy disk drive.<ref name="pcnortonpcjrport">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSzKzjWHeVEC&pg=PA144 | title=Developing PCjr Software | work=PC Magazine | date=January 24, 1984 | access-date=October 23, 2013 | author=Norton, Peter | pages=144}}</ref>

Thousands of PC applications did require more than 128K of memory<ref name="diamond19840801">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/01/business/ibm-raises-dividend-offers-a-free-keyboard.html | title=I.B.M. Raises Dividend, Offers a Free Keyboard | work=The New York Times | date=1984-08-01 | access-date=4 February 2015 | author=Diamond, Stuart}}</ref> and two disk drives,{{r|esd19831227}}{{r|levy198501}} making the PCjr incompatible with about 60% of software by some measures, including the popular word-processing program [[WordStar]] and Lotus 1-2-3,<ref name="time19840402" /><ref name="mccarroll19841224" /> common applications used to test PC compatibility.<ref name="alsop19940131">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzsEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22flight+simulator%22&pg=PT1 | title=A public Windows pane to make compatibility clearer | access-date=February 28, 2011 | author=Alsop, Stewart | date=January 31, 1994 | work=InfoWorld | pages=102}}</ref><ref name="shea19840312">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=li4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA37 | title=PCjr users wait for packages | access-date=February 24, 2011 | author=Shea, Tom | date=March 12, 1984 | work=InfoWorld | pages=37–39}}</ref><ref name="trivette198504">{{cite news | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue59/review_lotus_123.php | title=Lotus 1-2-3 For IBM PCjr | work=Compute! | date=April 1985 | access-date=October 6, 2013 | author=Trivette, Donald B. | pages=63}}</ref> IBM's own DisplayWrite was released as a unique PCjr version.<ref name="dickinsondw19840918">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq3POofPsBEC&pg=PA248 | title=IBM's Displaywriter Begets a Family of PC Software | work=PC | date=September 18, 1984 | access-date=January 29, 2015 | author=Dickinson, John | pages=238}}</ref> A four-line BASIC program that runs on the IBM PC can crash PCjr, mystifying even [[Peter Norton]].<ref name="norton1985">{{Cite book |last=Norton |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Norton |url=https://archive.org/details/The_Peter_Norton_Programmers_Guide_IBM-PC/page/37/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide for the IBM PC |publisher=Microsoft Press |year=1985 |isbn=0-914845-46-2 |page=37 |access-date=2025-04-12}}</ref> These compatibility limitations made the computer unsuitable for taking work home,{{r|levy198501}} although a PCjr variant of 1-2-3 was eventually released.{{r|trivette198504}}

Ultimately, the PCjr was perceived as not having a [[Killer application|killer app]] to make up for these limitations.{{r|levy198501}} Software incompatibility made it inadequate as a business machine,{{r|hayes19840424}} but poor performance with arcade-style games made it inadequate as a games machine.{{r|lima19841203}}

====Limited hardware expansion====
Computer dealers quickly identified the PCjr's limited hardware expansion capability as another major disadvantage.<ref name="zientara19840409">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13 | title=PCjr sales below expectations, dealers say | access-date=April 3, 2011 | work=InfoWorld | author=Zientara, Marguerite | date=April 9, 1984 | publisher=IDG}}</ref>{{r|time19840402}} ROM cartridges had small storage capacity,{{r|cook19840306}} requiring, for instance, two cartridges and a floppy disk for the PCjr version of Lotus 1-2-3, which also had difficulty fitting complex spreadsheets into 128K of RAM.{{r|trivette198504}} IBM published technical details for the PCjr as it had done for the IBM PC to encourage third parties to develop accessories, but did not offer a second floppy drive, hard drive,{{r|wp19831106}}<ref name="ruby198402" /> or memory beyond 128&nbsp;KB.{{r|hoffmann198403}}{{r|halfhill198410}}

While multiple sidecar expansion units could be attached, they took up a lot of space, and the computer required additional power supplies to support a second floppy drive or more than one sidecar. IBM advised against adding more than four sidecars.<ref name="ruby198402" /><ref name="mccarroll19841224" />{{r|levy198501}} The PCjr also lacks a [[Direct memory access|DMA]] controller, so the 8088 CPU has to service floppy disk transfers directly, causing the system to momentarily freeze while accessing a disk. The PCjr also cannot use modems faster than 2400 baud.<ref name="hoffmann198403">{{cite web | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n3/74_IBM_PCjr.php | title=IBM PCjr | access-date=February 25, 2011 | author=Hoffmann, Thomas V. | date=March 1984 | work=Creative Computing | pages=74}}</ref>{{r|levy198501}}{{r|manes19850528}}

===Response to poor sales===
By mid-1984, the PCjr had experienced months of bad publicity, and dealers were panicking.{{r|mccarroll19841224}} Sales were poor and falling each month before rising slightly with the June discounts, and each dealer sold an average of 15 units total in the first half of the year.{{r|bulman19841105}} Apple sold almost as many IIc computers on its first day as PCjr since introduction.{{r|levy198501}}

IBM downplayed complaints about the keyboard,{{r|sanger19840422}}{{r|levy198501}} but in July announced that it would replace the chiclet keyboards, for free, with a new model with conventional typewriter-style keys.{{r|levy198501}} This was perceived as unusually generous even for IBM, especially within the computer industry.{{r|halfhill198410}}<ref name="mccarroll19841224" /><ref name="lima19841203">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qS4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60 | title=New PC Jr | access-date=February 25, 2011 | author=Lima, Tony | date=December 3, 1984 | work=InfoWorld | pages=60–61}}</ref> By replacing the keyboards IBM was acknowledging the original models were a mistake.{{r|halfhill198410}}{{r|nichols20140322}}

In August 1984, IBM began a massive advertising campaign which ran through the end of the year.{{r|bulman19841105}} They reduced the PCjr's list price, offering a US$999 package meant to be superior to the comparably priced Apple IIe and IIc, and they introduced new IBM-made memory expansion options to bring the machine to 512&nbsp;KB.<ref name="halfhill198410">{{cite news | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue53/020_1_IBMs_New_Improved_PCjr.php | title=IBM's New & Improved PCjr | access-date=February 24, 2011 | author=Halfhill, Tom R. | date=October 1984 | work=Compute! | pages=50}}</ref> As part of $32.5 million in advertising for the computer during 1984,<ref name="shiver19850926">{{Cite news |title=Advertising Age Report Spending by Top 100 U.S. Advertisers Up 16% in '84 |last=Shiver |first=Jube Jr. |date=September 26, 1985 |work=Los Angeles Times |page=2}}</ref> it began what the company described as the most extensive marketing campaign in IBM history, in which 98% of Americans would see at least 30 PCjr advertisements in the last four months of the year. Three simultaneous [[bundled software]] promotions, a sweepstakes with [[Procter & Gamble]], and direct mail to more than 10 million people marketed the redesigned computer,<ref name="sandler198411">{{cite news | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n11/298_IBM_colossus_of_Armonk.php | title=IBM: Colossus of Armonk | work=Creative Computing | date=November 1984 | access-date=February 26, 2013 | author=Sandler, Corey | pages=298}}</ref>{{r|rosch19841113}} while deemphasizing the PCjr's role as a home computer and emphasizing PC compatibility.{{r|halfhill198410}}{{r|levy198501}} Advertisements listed the new price, "new typewriter-style keyboard", standard 128&nbsp;KB of memory and expansion options, the PCjr version of 1-2-3, and the ability to "run over a thousand of the most popular programs written for the IBM PC".<ref name="ibm198412">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mF8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47 | title=Now picture this. | work=Black Enterprise | date=December 1984 | access-date=February 25, 2011 | pages=47 | type=advertisement}}</ref> A $500 rebate to dealers let them include a free color monitor with the discounted PCjr.<ref name="fastie198502">{{Cite magazine |last=Fastie |first=Will |date=February 1985 |title=An old friend takes a hard look at the IBM product line. |url=https://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v11n2/150_IBM_images_an_old_friend.php |department=IBM Images |magazine=Creative Computing |page=150 |access-date=2018-09-03}}</ref>{{r|winter19850324}}

Despite widespread skepticism,<ref name="dudek19841002">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-tPdHcBE9wC&pg=PA35 | title=Is jr 'Likely to Succeed'? Friends Gloat, Foes Groan | work=PC Magazine | author=Dudek, Virginia | date=October 2, 1984 | access-date=October 25, 2013 | pages=35}}</ref> what became known as the "Save-the-Junior campaign"{{r|rosch19841113}} succeeded in the short term. Sales rose every month from June (1.9 units sold per store) to September (4.2){{r|bulman19841105}} and many dealers reported selling more in the weeks following the changes than in the previous seven months.<ref name="mccarroll19841224" /><ref name="sanger19841115">{{cite news
 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/15/business/at-computer-show-many-retrenching.html
 | title=At Computer Show, Many Retrenching
 | work=The New York Times
 | date=November 15, 1984
 | access-date=October 24, 2013
 | author=Sanger, David E.
}}</ref>{{r|rosch19841113}} The more expensive model now cost the {{val|p=$|800| to |900}} that had originally been expected prior to release.{{r|ap19850321}} With the new hardware options and lower prices consumers could buy a PCjr for {{US$|long=no|1000}} less than a comparable PC.{{r|diamond19840801}}{{r|halfhill198410}}

The PCjr reportedly became the best-selling computer,<ref name="kennedy19850514">{{Cite news |last=Kennedy, Don |title=Junior Axed By IBM |date=May 14, 1985 |work=PC |pages=33}}</ref> outselling the Apple IIe and IIc by four to one in some stores{{r|fastie198502}}<ref name="machrone19850402">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w1aA2lOwdNIC&pg=PA81 | title=PCjr Renaissance | work=PC Magazine | date=April 2, 1985 | access-date=October 28, 2013 | author=Machrone, Bill | pages=81}}</ref> and even the C64.{{r|mccarroll19841224}} As sales reached an estimated 50 per store in December{{r|pollack19850320}} dealers increased inventories,{{r|ap19850321}} and Tecmar resumed production of PCjr peripherals after retailers suddenly began ordering its products again.<ref name="rosch19841113">{{Cite news |last=Rosch, Winn L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Ukz6hjZEA4C&pg=PA33 |title=Jr's Growth Spurts Sales |date=November 13, 1984 |work=PC |access-date=2020-03-15 |pages=33, 35}}</ref>

===Discontinuation===
By January 1985, IBM had sold an estimated 240,000-275,000 PCjrs, 200,000 of which were sold in the fourth quarter of 1984. When the discounts ended, however, sales decreased abruptly{{r|kennedy19850514}}<ref name="pollack19850320">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/20/business/ibm-drops-pcjr-production.html | title=I.B.M. Drops PCjr Production | access-date=February 25, 2011 | author=Pollack, Andrew | date=March 20, 1985 | work=The New York Times}}</ref>{{r|time19850401}} and inventories began to stack up again.{{r|ap19850321}} By this time, three PCjr-specific magazines had ended their publications{{r|bartimo19841210}} with significant losses.<ref name="tuller19861116">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/16/business/abc-s-axe-wielding-publisher-robert-g-burton-championing-print-in-a-tv-world.html?pagewanted=all |title=ABC'S AXE-WIELDING PUBLISHER: ROBERT G. BURTON; Championing Print in a TV World |last=Tuller |first=David |date=November 16, 1986 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> IBM was unable to meet the demand for its new [[PC AT]] business microcomputer, but the home-computer market was in decline{{r|sanger19850118}}{{r|time19850401}} and the company was likely unable to make a sufficient profit when selling the PCjr at a discount.{{r|pollack19850120}}{{r|pollack19850320}}{{r|ap19850321}}{{r|time19850401}}

IBM discontinued the PCjr on March 19, 1985, stating that "The home market didn't expand to the degree I.B.M. and many observers thought it would". The surprise decision{{r|pollack19850320}}<ref name="time19850401">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,964850,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625185216/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C964850%2C00.html |archive-date=June 25, 2009 |title=Kicking Junior Out of the Family |access-date=February 23, 2011 |author1=Castro, Janice |author2=Bob Buderi |author3=Thomas McCarroll |date=April 1, 1985 |magazine=Time |url-status=dead }}</ref> by IBM's CEO [[John Akers]]{{r|sanger19850707}} astounded software developers, some of which only made PCjr products.{{r|kennedy19850514}} Rumored to have 100,000 to 400,000 unsold PCjrs{{r|kennedy19850514}}<ref name="werner19850520">{{Cite magazine |last=Werner |first=Edward |date=1985-05-20 |title=Fire sale seen for last PCjrs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygHfUXZWXlcC&pg=PA47#v=onepage&q&f=true |access-date=2025-06-07 |magazine=Computerworld |pages=47,55 |volume=XIX |issue=20}}</ref><ref name="steele19850709">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SprPDrQRvM8C&pg=PA34 | title=COMDEX: Nothing New Under the Georgia Sun | work=PC Magazine | date=July 9, 1985 | access-date=October 28, 2013 | author=Steele, William | pages=34}}</ref>{{r|mintzer19860114}} despite not having ordered new microprocessors from Intel since summer 1984,<ref name="iw19850415">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13 | title=Death of the PCjr: Insiders Foresaw It | work=InfoWorld | date=April 15, 1985 | access-date=February 4, 2015 | pages=13 | editor=McCarthy, Michael}}</ref> the company offered large discounts to its employees<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/19/business/ibm-offers-a-pcjr-deal.html | title=I.B.M. Offers a PCjr Deal | access-date=February 25, 2011 | date=September 19, 1985 | work=The New York Times}}</ref> and consumers. Inventory remained through Christmas 1985, and IBM used discounts as well as radio and full-page print ads to try to sell off remaining stocks.<ref name="mintzer19860114">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hoPbDSDNLTQC&pg=PA75 | title=News in Brief | work=PC | date=January 14, 1986 | access-date=January 21, 2015 | pages=38 | editor=Mintzer, Jane}}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{quote|The PCjr was a successful product. The problem was that it only sold a few hundred thousand a year. Anybody else would love to have a product that sells a few hundred thousand a year. But that's a disaster when you plan to sell a million, million and a half a year.|[[John V. Roach]], [[Tandy Corporation]] CEO, 1988<ref name="ferrell198807">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1988-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_098_1988_Jul#page/n89/mode/2up | title=Windows on John Roach | work=Compute! | date=July 1988 | accessdate=5 September 2016 | author=Ferrell, Keith | pages=88-89}}</ref>}}

The press widely covered the failure of the PCjr.{{r|sanger19850707}} Although the machine's failure had little effect on IBM's revenue ($46 billion in 1984) discontinuing such a prominent product embarrassed IBM.{{r|ap19850321}} The failure was so great that it was compared to the [[Edsel]] and [[New Coke]],<ref name="lynch19901026">{{cite news | url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-10-26/entertainment/9003300627_1_ibm-ps-prodigy-software-microsoft-works | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714115708/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-10-26/entertainment/9003300627_1_ibm-ps-prodigy-software-microsoft-works | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 14, 2014 | title=The Pros, Cons Of Buying An IBM PS/1 | work=Chicago Tribune | date=October 26, 1990 | access-date=February 4, 2015 | author=Lynch, Dennis}}</ref> and [[Oracle Corporation]] mocked a rival's product as being PCjr compatible.<ref name="oracle19880118">{{Cite magazine |date=18 January 1988 |title= The Last DBMS |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dz8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA92637#v=onepage&q&f=false |access-date=2025-05-25 |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |page=9 |volume=10 |issue=3}}</ref> IBM reportedly created a '''Chiclet rule''', requiring [[human factors]] testing for future products.<ref name="strehlo19850617">{{cite news
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FS8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8
 | title=The Chiclet Rule and the Green Dragon
 | work=InfoWorld
 | date=June 17, 1985
 | access-date=May 31, 2016
 | author=Strehlo, Kevin
 | quote="
 | page=8}}</ref>

Some analysts speculated that IBM's bureaucratic culture, so different from that of the less-rigid Boca Raton division that created the PC, had resulted in the failure, while others thought that the absence of IBM's cautious and thorough bureaucrats had caused it. [[Philip Don Estridge|Don Estridge]] said their mistake had been to expect that first-time computer users would buy a PCjr.{{r|sanger19850707}} It was perceived by developers that IBM had entered the market without doing any research.{{r|ap19850321}}

[[Tandy Corporation]] released a clone, the [[Tandy 1000]], in November 1984,<ref name="infoworld19850121">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9y4EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22tandy+1000%22&pg=PA23 | title=BRIEFS | access-date=February 27, 2011 | date=February 12, 1985 | magazine=InfoWorld | pages=23}}</ref> describing it as "what the PCjr should have been".<ref name="bartimo19850311">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5C4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28 | title=Tandy Revamps Product Line | work=InfoWorld | date=March 11, 1985 | access-date=January 21, 2015 | author=Bartimo, Jim | pages=28–29}}</ref> After the PCjr's discontinuation, Tandy quickly removed any mention of it in advertising, while emphasizing the {{Not a typo|1000's}} PC compatibility. The machine and its many successors sold well, unlike the PCjr, partly because the Tandy 1000 was sold in ubiquitous [[Radio Shack]] stores and partly because it was less costly, easier to expand, and almost entirely compatible with the IBM PC. The PCjr's enhanced graphics and sound standards became known as "[[Tandy Graphics Adapter|Tandy-compatible]]", and many PC games advertised their Tandy support. One company developed a PCjr modification that made it compatible with Tandy software.<ref name="loguidice2014">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA96 | title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time | publisher=CRC Press |author1=Loguidice, Bill |author2=Barton, Matt | year=2014 | pages=95–97 | isbn=978-1135006518}}</ref>

Ultimately, the PCjrs failure was attributed to its lack of PC compatibility.<ref name="machrone19851126">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VUKL2rKYb8UC&pg=PA59 | title=Compatibility Wars—Here and Abroad |magazine=PC Magazine | date=November 26, 1985 | access-date=October 29, 2013 | author=Machrone, Bill |page=59}}</ref> As PC clones became widely available at prices as low as $600, less than the price of the Apple IIc, consumers began purchasing DOS computers for the home in large numbers, and these inexpensive clones succeeded with consumers where the PCjr had failed, by being as fast as, or faster than the IBM PC while still being highly compatible.<ref name="halfhill198612">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1986-12-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_079_1986_Dec#page/n33/mode/2up | title=The MS-DOS Invasion / IBM Compatibles Are Coming Home | work=Compute! | date=December 1986 | access-date=November 9, 2013 | author=Halfhill, Tom R. | pages=32}}</ref>

Several upgrades for the PCjr were designed by IBM/Teledyne but never reached store shelves before the PCjr was canceled. These included a wireless joystick and various memory and drive upgrades. PC Enterprises became the last of the major third-party vendors to supply full service, parts, and add-ons, extending the functional life of the PCjr to about 10 years, often buying out inventory and rights for PCjr support.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Company History Page|url=https://pccomponents.com/companyhistory.asp|access-date=2020-10-16|website=pccomponents.com}}</ref>

Other manufacturers provided support items for PCjr fans, such as hard drive attachments and specialized sidecars that the user could use to enhance the system. The PCjr was able to run other software designed for the PC, such as word processor, database and spreadsheet programs ran well on the PCjr with 128K of memory. When fully expanded to over 600K memory, the PCjr would run most IBM PC software.<ref>http://oldcomputers.net/ibm-pcjr.html see the comments.</ref>

IBM returned to the home market in 1990 with the [[IBM PS/1|PS/1]]. Unlike the PCjr, the PS/1 offered full PC compatibility, a low price, and a conventional keyboard.{{r|lynch19901026}}

==Timeline==
{{Timeline of the IBM Personal Computer}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://weblog.ceicher.com/archives/2002/12/christmas_1984_the_great_apple.html Christmas 1984: The Great Apple //c vs. PCjr Battle]

{{IBM personal computers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:8086-based home computers]]
[[Category:Home computers]]
[[Category:X86 IBM personal computers|PCjr]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1984]]