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Who Controls PC Hardware?
It is clear that Microsoft has always had the majority control over PC software by virtue of its control over the dominant PC OSs, but what about the hardware? It is easy to see that IBM controlled the PC hardware standard up through 1987. After all, IBM invented the core PC motherboard design; the original expansion bus slot architecture (8/16-bit ISA bus); the ROM BIOS interface, serial and parallel port implementations; video card design through VGA and XGA standards; floppy and hard disk interface and controller implementations; power supply designs; keyboard interfaces and designs; the mouse interface; and even the physical shapes (form factors) of everything from the motherboard to the expansion cards, power supplies, and system chassis.
But, to me, the real question is which company has been responsible for creating and inventing newer and more recent PC hardware designs, interfaces, and standards? When I ask people that question, I normally see some hesitation in their responses—some people say Microsoft (but it controls the software, not the hardware), and some say HP or Dell, or they name a few other big-name system manufacturers. Some, however, surmise the correct answer—Intel.
I can see why many people don’t immediately realize this; I mean, how many people actually own an Intel-brand PC? No, not just one that says Intel Inside on it (which refers only to the system having an Intel processor), but a system that was designed and built by, or even purchased through, Intel. Believe it or not, many people today do have Intel PCs!
Certainly, this does not mean that consumers have purchased their systems from Intel because Intel does not sell complete PCs to end users. You can’t currently order a system from Intel, nor can you purchase an Intel-brand system from somebody else. What I am talking about are the major components inside, including especially the motherboard as well as the core of the motherboard—the chipset.
But, to me, the real question is which company has been responsible for creating and inventing newer and more recent PC hardware designs, interfaces, and standards? When I ask people that question, I normally see some hesitation in their responses—some people say Microsoft (but it controls the software, not the hardware), and some say HP or Dell, or they name a few other big-name system manufacturers. Some, however, surmise the correct answer—Intel.
I can see why many people don’t immediately realize this; I mean, how many people actually own an Intel-brand PC? No, not just one that says Intel Inside on it (which refers only to the system having an Intel processor), but a system that was designed and built by, or even purchased through, Intel. Believe it or not, many people today do have Intel PCs!
Certainly, this does not mean that consumers have purchased their systems from Intel because Intel does not sell complete PCs to end users. You can’t currently order a system from Intel, nor can you purchase an Intel-brand system from somebody else. What I am talking about are the major components inside, including especially the motherboard as well as the core of the motherboard—the chipset.
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