IBM PS/1
Not to be confused with the Sony Playstation video game console, known informally as the PS1, or the PSone, the official name of the redesigned version of the same console.
The IBM PS/1 was a brand for a line of personal computers and was IBM's return to the home market in 1990, five years after the IBM PCjr. It was replaced by the IBM Aptiva in September 1994.
Position in IBM's PC brands
Like the PCjr, the PS/1's name suggested a more limited machine than IBM's business line, the PS/2. However, unlike the PS/2, the PS/1 was based upon architecture closer to the AT and compatibles, such as using ISA, plain VGA, and IDE. The PS/1 line was created for new computer users and was sold in consumer electronics stores alongside comparable offerings from Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Packard Bell, and others. American PS/1 models came with a modem installed so users could access online IBM help services, which were provided by partnerships with Prodigy and Quantum. Although the first models used custom designed components and design, later desktop and tower models used mostly standard components. The earlier models included a ROM with IBM's PC DOS and a graphical shell, however the system was compatible with other DOS implementations and the shell could be installed on the hard-drive. Later models included a feature called "Rapid Resume" which gave the computers the ability to go into standby mode as well as a hibernation function. There were several form factors used during the PS/1's production:
