Compaq: The PC Giant That Lost the Desktop War

Compaq built the PC future by breaking IBM’s control, then lost its position as the desktop market changed around it. This documentary follows the Compaq Portable, the company’s rise to the top of the PC industry in 1994, and the decisions that led to its decline and 2002 acquisition by Hewlett-Packard. Explore how dealer networks, costs, Dell’s direct-sales model, and shifting competition transformed a company that once set the standard for personal computers. Compaq’s story reveals how creating the future does not always mean controlling it. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:36 The Machine That Proved IBM Could Be Beaten 3:00 The Year Compaq Stopped Following IBM 6:34 The Cost Problem Compaq Could Not Ignore 9:51 The Comeback That Changed The Battlefield 13:18 The Rival With A Different Rulebook 15:57 The Name That Survived Without The Company 18:05 Closing