IBM Concedes Defeat in Battle for Desktop Supremacy

IBM's CEO, Louis Gerstner, admitted that the company has failed in its attempt to establish a software alternative to Microsoft's dominant position in the desktop computer market. The concession comes as Microsoft prepares to launch Windows 95, which is expected to further solidify its grip on the industry. IBM's OS/2, touted as technologically superior, has struggled to gain traction with consumers.

Key Takeaways:

IBM has conceded defeat in its multibillion-dollar effort to challenge Microsoft's dominance in the desktop computer market.
CEO Louis Gerstner acknowledged that IBM is "too late to go after the desktop" and will focus on large enterprises instead.
IBM's OS/2, a program aimed at countering Microsoft's Windows and MS-DOS, has failed to gain widespread acceptance among consumers.
IBM will continue to aggressively sell OS/2 to large companies and institutions that use it on application servers.
Microsoft is poised to launch Windows 95, expected to further solidify its position in the market.

Statistics:

80% of personal computers run on Windows and MS-DOS programs (Source: NYT).
IBM's OS/2 has never gained more than a small minority of consumers (Source: NYT).

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