PC-98

"PC 98" redirects here. For the 1998 computer guideline by Microsoft and Intel, see PC System Design Guide. For the gene, see Pc98 (gene).
Not to be confused with Windows 98.
PC-9800 series
PC-9801 with 8-inch floppy drives
ManufacturerNippon Electric (NEC)
TypePersonal computers
Release dateOctober 1982; 42 years ago (1982-10)
DiscontinuedSeptember 30, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09-30)[1]
Units shipped18.3 million[2]
Operating systemN88-BASIC(86), CP/M-86, MS-DOS, Windows, OS/2, PC-UX
CPUIntel 8086, 80286, i386, i486, NEC V30, Pentium
PredecessorPC-8800 series
LanguageJapanese language

The PC-9800 series[3], commonly shortened to PC-98 or 98 (キューハチ, Kyū-hachi),[4] is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003.[1] While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it incompatible with IBM clones; some PC-98 computers used NEC's own V30 processor. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more than 18 million units had been sold.[5] While NEC did not market these specific machines in the West, it sold the NEC APC series, which had similar hardware to early PC-98 models.

The PC-98 was initially released as a business-oriented personal computer which had backward compatibility with the successful PC-8800 series. The range of the series was expanded, and in the 1990s it was used in a variety of industry fields including education and hobbies. NEC succeeded in attracting third-party suppliers and a wide range of users, and the PC-98 dominated the Japanese PC market with more than 60% market share by 1991. IBM clones lacked sufficient graphics capabilities to easily handle Japan's multiple writing systems, in particular kanji with its thousands of characters. In addition, Japanese computer manufacturers marketed personal computers that were based on each proprietary architecture for the domestic market. Global PC manufacturers, with the exception of Apple, had failed to overcome the language barrier, and the Japanese PC market was isolated from the global market.[6]

By 1990, average CPUs and graphics capabilities were sufficiently improved. The DOS/V operating system enabled IBM clones to display Japanese text by using a software font only, giving a chance for global PC manufacturers to enter the Japanese PC market. The PC-98 is a non-IBM compatible x86-based computer and is thus capable of running ported (and localized) versions of MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. However, as Windows spread, software developers no longer had to code their software separately for each specific platform. An influx of cheaper clone computers by American vendors,[7] and later the popularity of Windows 95 reducing the demand for PC-98 legacy applications, led to NEC abandoning compatibility with the PC-98 platform in 1997 and releasing the PC98-NX series of Wintel computers, based on the PC System Design Guide.[8]

  1. ^ a b PC-9800シリーズ受注終了のお知らせ [PC-9800 Series Discontinuation Notification] (in Japanese). NEC. 7 August 2003. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ozawa_2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Japanese: PC-9800シリーズ, Hepburn: Pī Shī Kyūsen Happyaku Shirīzu
  4. ^ 用語解説辞典【キューハチ】. NTT PC Communications. Archived from the original on 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  5. ^ "Computing Japan". Computing Japan. 54–59. LINC Japan: 18. 1999. Retrieved 6 February 2012. ...its venerable PC 9800 series, which has sold more than 18 million units over the years, and is the reason why NEC has been the number one PC vendor in Japan for as long as anyone can remember.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Mccarroll, Thomas (1993-08-02). "Crashing Prices". TIME. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  8. ^ SE編集部 (2010). "4. DOS/VとWindowsの時代". 僕らのパソコン30年史 (in Japanese). Shōeisha. pp. 95–115. ISBN 978-4-7981-2189-5.