- Mach 20 attempted to bridge the gap between PC generations, but instead achieved near-total obscurity
- Only 11 units of OS/2 for Mach 20 reached customers
- Eight users who bought OS/2 for Mach 20 quickly returned it, disappointed
In the history of Microsoft’s successes, from Windows to its vast suite of office software, there is one nearly forgotten misstep that is a lesson in technological timing.
The “best-selling Microsoft product of all time” is not an obscure game or unused application, but rather a specialized version of an operating system designed for hardware that very few people own.
Known as “OS/2 for Mach 20”, it only sold eleven copies, of which eight were returned.
The vision behind Mach 20
In the mid-to-late 1980s, PC hardware was evolving rapidly, with faster processors and richer graphics reshaping what computers could do for business users.
For companies still adapting to the digital age, replacing entire systems was expensive, and Microsoft’s Mach 10 and later Mach 20 expansion cards were conceived as solutions to this problem.
They promised to breathe new life into older PCs by adding faster processors and additional memory through a plug-in upgrade rather than a complete replacement.
The Mach 20, with its 80286 CPU and expandable memory options, seemed like an attractive compromise between cost and performance.
Despite that promise, it remained limited by an older and more expensive bus architecture to implement.
At that time, the market was already moving towards newer machines that did not require that solution.
Companies that were previously hesitant to invest in new computers found themselves more inclined to purchase new hardware than to commit to complex upgrades.
Microsoft’s decision to release a dedicated version of OS/2 for Mach 20 exacerbated the problem.
OS/2 itself, developed together with IBM, was intended to replace DOS and rival Windows as the future of computing.
However, the Mach 20 edition required specific hardware to operate, reducing its potential user base to a handful of enthusiasts.
As expected, sales were dismal. Only a few units reached customers, making it one of the more obscure releases in Microsoft’s long catalog.
The Mach 20 and its OS/2 variant faded into obscurity, but its story remains relevant, as its failure shows how even a tech giant can misjudge the balance between innovation and practicality.
Via Tom Hardware
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