This article heralding the arrival of the original IBM PC appeared in the NY Times on Thursday, August 13th, 1981

"People will now know that personal computers are not a fad or a flash in the pan." -- Michael McConnell, executive Vice President of the retail chain Computerland

Base system: $1565 ("television-like display screen" and "cassette tapes" not included!)
High-end system: over $6,000