- The Mach 20 attempted to bridge the gap between PC generations, but ultimately achieved near-total obscurity.
- Only 11 units of OS/2 for Mach 20 have been delivered to customers
- Eight users who bought OS/2 for Mach 20 quickly returned it, disappointed
In Microsoft’s history of successes, from Windows to its vast suite of office software, lies a nearly forgotten misstep that serves as a lesson in technological timing.
The “best-selling Microsoft product of all time” is not an obscure game or an unused application, but rather a specialized version of an operating system designed for hardware that very few people owned.
Known as “OS/2 for Mach 20”, it sold only eleven copies, eight of which were reportedly returned.
The vision behind the Mach 20
In the mid-to-late 1980s, computer hardware was rapidly evolving, with faster processors and richer graphics reshaping what computers could do for professional users.
For businesses still adapting to the digital age, replacing entire systems was costly, and Microsoft’s Mach 10 and later Mach 20 expansion cards were designed as solutions to this problem.
They promised to breathe new life into old PCs by adding faster processors and additional memory via a plug-in upgrade rather than a full replacement.
The Mach 20, with its 80286 processor and expandable memory options, seemed like an interesting compromise between cost and performance.
Despite this promise, it remained limited by older bus architecture that was costly to implement.
At the time, the market was already moving toward newer machines that did not require any such workarounds.
Companies that were once hesitant to invest in new computers have found themselves more willing to buy new hardware than to gamble on complex upgrades.
Microsoft’s decision to release a dedicated version of OS/2 for the Mach 20 made the problem worse.
OS/2 itself, developed alongside IBM, was intended to replace DOS and rival Windows as the future of computing.
The Mach 20 edition, however, 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 have faded into obscurity, but their story remains relevant because its failure shows how even a tech giant can misjudge the balance between innovation and practicality.
Via Tom’s Hardware
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