286i

Computer published 40 years ago:

Kaypro 268i (c) 1985 Kaypro Corporation.

- TECHNICAL -

The dark gray exterior, not to mention the large footprint of the system unit, make it look imposing. It consists of three components: a display, a detachable keyboard, and a system unit housing the cpu, disk drives, and electronic wonders of the system.

The heart of the 286i is the 80286 microprocessor operating at 6MHz. It comes with 512K RAM on the motherboard, expandable to 640K (the limit recognized by MS-DOS).

- TRIVIA -

Following the success of the "Kaypro II", Kaypro moved on to produce a long line of similar computers into the mid 80s. Exceedingly loyal to its original core group of customers, Kaypro continued using the CP/M operating system long after it had been abandoned by its competitors. It wasn't until 1985 that Kaypro began producing IBM compatible MS-DOS machines, the Kaypro 16 (transportable, same form factor as the Kaypro II), the Kaypro PC, Kaypro 286i, the Kaypro 386, and the Kaypro 2000. The slow start into the IBM clone market would have serious ramifications.

The Kaypro 286i was the first 286 IBM PC AT clone/compatible. The 'i' stands for Impressive.

The base model with 512K RAM, two 1.2Mb floppy drives, one serial and two parallel ports, and graphics board costs $4500. The RGB monitor retails for $595.

- CONTRIBUTE -

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