Achieve3000 Term 4 Write: Assignment 1

Today, even ordinary tasks have a ton of complicated technology behind them. The technologies for saving a file on a laptop, swiping an ATM card, and buying a gallon of milk at the checkout line are thanks to a company called IBM. The company has been around for more than 100 years.

IBM got its start in 1911. Modern computers were still far off, but new machines in general were exciting. In that year, three companies merged to form the Computing Tabulating Recording Company. It made scales and clocks for keeping track of workers' hours. In 1924, the group changed its name to International Business Machines, or IBM. The new company made machines that would become important business tools.

Over the years, the company grew, thanks to the efforts of Thomas J. Watson Sr. He became the company's leader in 1914. He created the slogan "THINK." It referred to the company's goal to think creatively to find answers for businesses.

Watson, and later his son Thomas Watson Jr., guided IBM into the computer age. The company conceived numerous new ideas. In the mid-1900s, they introduced a type of very large computer called a mainframe. It looked little like the compact computers of today. It became the most important such computer at the time. IBM introduced the magnetic hard drive in 1956. In the 1960s and 1970s, IBM developed the first working bar code system. This is used at store checkouts. In 1971, IBM introduced the floppy disk to hold data. The company also introduced a system that made ATMs possible. It created magnetic strips for credit cards.

As it grew, IBM earned not only profits but also widespread respect. But the company's fortunes began to change in the 1980s. The company had fewer new ideas. It had trouble in an environment filled with changing technology. IBM introduced its personal computer (PC) in 1981. But it made a mistake. IBM didn't buy the rights to the software that ran the PC. That software was made by a then-new company called Microsoft. Not buying the rights to the software left IBM at risk. Other companies began using the same technology to make similar computers.

IBM was forced to adjust, which turned out to be one of the company's great achievements. In the 1990s, the company started focusing on services. It provided support and data storage. The change in strategy was risky but successful. IBM became the world's largest technology services provider.

In 2011, the company created a stir with its Watson computer system. This new computer defeated the world's best Jeopardy! players. Watson can make sense of human language and mountains of data. It can answer complicated questions in seconds. The technology behind Watson is now used by businesses around the world.

How will current computers equipped with AI chips change the future?