IBM compatible
Updated: 10/11/2017 by Computer Hope
Alternatively known as an IBM clone, IBM compatible describes a computer, hardware, or software that is IBM/PC compatible. It originated in the early 1980s when personal computers were manufactured with a specific BIOS (basic input/output system) that was reverse-engineered for compatibility with the IBM PC. Today, most computers manufactured and used are either PC (IBM compatible) or Apple Macintosh compatible.