Surprised surprised at the number one slot. 
===
IBM's first PC, announced on August 12, 1981, was far from the
first personal computer--but when it arrived, there was
near-universal agreement that it was likely to be a landmark
machine. It was. And 25 years later, it still ranks among the most
significant computers ever.
Like the IBM Personal Computer, Model 5150, the greatest systems
have always had ambitions to boldly go where no computer has gone
before. Without these innovative machines, the PC revolution would
have been a lot less...well, revolutionary. So we decided to
celebrate the IBM PC's 25th birthday by identifying the 25 PCs that
have mattered most--from any manufacturer, and from any era.
No single characteristic makes a computer great. But we managed to
boil down an array of winning qualities into four factors, all of
which happen to begin with the letter I.
Innovation: Did the PC do anything that was
genuinely new? Did it incorporate the latest technology?
Impact: Was it widely imitated? Did it become part
of the cultural zeitgeist?
Industrial design: Was it a looker? Did it have
clever features that made using it a pleasure?
Intangibles: Was there anything else about it that
set it apart from the same ol' same ol'?
Armed with this scale, we considered dozens of PCs--which meant
that we also had to consider the question "What is a PC, exactly?"
Ultimately we decided that a PC is anything that's recognizably a
desktop or portable computer in design--or, alternatively, anything
that runs an operating system originally created for desktops and
laptops. After a lot of nostalgic debate, we selected our winners.
Which systems we picked--and didn't pick--for our Top 25 may be
controversial. If one of your favorites didn't make our roster,
check out our list of 25 near-great PCs.
Just to drum up a little suspense, we'll reveal the Top 25 starting
with number 25, and then work our way backward to the single
greatest PC of all time. (Spoilsports can skip ahead to number 1;
we won't be any the wiser. You can also jump to the complete list
of our Top 25 picks.)
Ready?
