IBM PS/2 Model 30

The PS/2 Model 30 was introduced in April 1987 alongside the Model 50 and Model 60—entries in the PS/2 line which featured the new Micro Channel architecture bus, as opposed to the Model 30's reliance on the so-called Industry Standard Architecture bus previously used in IBM's PC/XT. The Model 30 was the most entry-level in the PS/2 lineup,[1] with the dual-floppy-drive unit costing US$1,695 and the floppy–hard drive combo unit costing US$2,295—compared to $3,595 for the most bare-equipped Model 50.[2][3] With an Intel 8086 microprocessor clocked at 8 MHz, the Model 30 was rated roughly two-and-a-half times faster than its predecessors, according to IBM, while occupying a chassis roughly half the size.[1]

Manufacturing of the Model 30 was initially performed at IBM's facility in Boca Raton, Florida, by a core team of around 50 workers.[4] IBM's engineers consolidated several off-the-shelf chips from their previous PCs into VLSI packages and designed the system board to take surface-mount devices—two strategies in wide use among PC clone manufacturers by the time of the Model 30's release.[5] On launch day, 70,000 units of the entire PS/2 line—including the Model 30—were delivered to IBM dealers in the United States.[1] In June 1987, manufacturing of the Model 30 was moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, with IBM offering all of the core team the option to transfer to the Raleigh facility. Computer industry analysts speculated that this relocation was to free up production lines of a newer, more advanced entry in the PS/2 family, at Boca Raton, where the Models 50, 60, and 80 were also being made.[4] The Raleigh plant manufactured 2,000 Model 30s daily in June 1987, compared to 1,000 Model 50s and 800 Model 60s produced daily simultaneously in Boca Raton.[6]

IBM introduced "financial workstation" versions of the Model 30 in November 1987.[7][8] These Model 30s were intended for bank tellers and came packaged with a 50-key function keypad.[8] lpace i In September 1988, IBM launched the PS/2 Model 30 286, which featured the Intel 80286 microprocessor, clocked at 10 MHz. Per the updated microprocessor's 16-bit external data bus, the Model 30 286 also sported 16-bit ISA expansion slots, allowing the computer to use expansion cards of that of the PC/AT; the original Model 30 had only 8-bit ISA slots as used in the PC/XT. On announcement, the maximum amount of RAM was bumped from 640 KB to 16 MB—the maximum amount that the 80286 processor could address.[9] Additionally the integrated graphics chip and port were made VGA—a graphics chip standard which IBM introduced with the higher-end entries of the PS/2 line.[10] The Model 30 286 marked IBM's return to the AT-compatible PC market, which IBM had set with the release of the PC/AT in 1984 and which they had abandoned with the release of the PS/2 in April 1987.[9] Like the Model 30 before it, the Model 30 286 was also manufactured in Raleigh.[11]

Top view of a Model 30 286 with its case lid opened up

Both the Model 30 and its 286 successor feature the same case design.[12] Their chassis measure 16 by 15.5 by 4 inches (41 by 39 by 10 cm)—[13] roughly a third in volume of the PC/AT.[12] The Model 30 was measured to weigh roughly 16 pounds (7.3 kg).[5] The front and back of the case sport plastic bezels, the front featuring a sloping canopy design off-white in color,[5][12] while the back is brown.[12] The floppy drive resides in the middle of the front bezel, with the secondary drive bay—either housing a second floppy drive or a hard drive—to the right of the primary floppy drive bay. Should the computer be optioned with a hard drive, its bezel cover has a notch cut in it to show its status indicator. On the far right, next to the second drive bay, is a paddle switch,[12] recessed beneath the front bezel's canopy design to prevent accidental actuation. This front-facing power switch itself is not directly attached to the power supply unit, but is instead linked via a metal rod to the "big red switch" of the power supply unit mounted in the back.[5] A row of slots on the front bezel allow air to passively cool the components inside.[12] A lock and key on the side of the chassis prevents the chassis from being opened up and disables the keyboard. While the higher-end PS/2s feature a modular construction with card-edge connectors for drives and a tool-less approach to user servicing, the Model 30 relies on ribbon cables for these connections and requires the removal of four screws to undo the case lid.[5][14] The lid itself is made from steel, while the chassis holding the internal components in place is a stamped, U-shaped piece of metal with 0.75-inch folds.[12]

The Model 30 sold mediocrely in the first few months, according to Dataquest, a market research firm. For example, it was the only entry in the PS/2 lineup not to have a backlog of orders in June 1987.[4] The Model 30 represented only 10 percent of the 250,000 PS/2s sold between the beginning of April and the end of May 1987.[16] Computerworld reported that some outlets were discounting their stock of Model 30s by as much as 20 percent in response to tepid sales.[17] An early enterprise adopter of the Model 30 was Delta Air Lines, who purchased 11,000 units for their customer reservation system.[6] Norman Dewitt of Dataquest speculated that the Model 30 was sold at an artificially high price until remaining inventory of PC/AT and PC/XT were depleted.[4] Despite its relative lackluster performance in the marketplace, the Model 30 sold the best of all PS/2s in the retail space.[6] The Model 30 286 in 1988 was seen as IBM's attempt to target the low-end of single-user systems users, a segment where the PS/2 line had performed poorly as a whole.[10]