CPU unit for IBM PS/1 80486 sx, by IBM, United Kingdom, c.1990

Introduced in the early 1990s, the IBM PS/1 was one of the UK’s early personal home computers. Unlike earlier examples such as the Amstrad, the Commodore 64, and the ZX Spectrum, the IBM PS/1 was closer to a personal computer than game console and worked “out of the box” which led to a wider userbase including general users as well as electronics and home computing enthusiasts. Accompanying peripheral equipment, CRT monitor, small desk, and related home electronic and computing publications provide a good example of the working setup and context of consumer computing/electronics in the UK in the early 1990s.