© Sergei Magel/HNF/dpa

The basis for the resounding market success of the IBM architecture was the decision to allow other companies such as Compaq, Dell or Nixdorf to copy the IBM PC. In retrospect, IBM managers may have regretted that they had paved the way for the competition. Ten years after Compaq sold the first 'PC clone', IBM lost its leading position in the market to the Texan company in 1994. In 2005, IBM sold its PC division, including market rights, to the Chinese company Lenovo, which is now the global market leader.

An IBM PC can be seen in the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum. 40 years ago, IBM launched a new era in the history of technology with its first personal computer.