IPAQ (desktop computer)
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | February 2, 1982 in Houston, Texas, United States |
| Fate | Acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2002 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas , United States |
| Products | Personal computers, servers, computer hardware |
The iPAQ Desktop Personal Computer was a pioneering legacy-free PC introduced by Compaq around the year 2000. Drawing inspiration from the iMac, it was engineered as a compact desktop solution emphasizing straightforward internet access.
Hardware
Designed with significant upgrade potential, the iPAQ allowed users to easily swap out components such as hard drives, RAM, CPU, and 'Multi-Bay' drives, although it did not feature slots for expansion cards.
The versatile 'Multi-Bay' compartment supported 3.5 inch LS SuperDisk drives—the sole floppy disk option—alongside optical drives or additional hard drives. This slot was compatible with many Compaq Armada and HP/Compaq laptop models.
Employing convection cooling technology, the iPAQ was particularly appreciated in office environments for its quiet operation with low (dB) noise levels.
Processor choices ranged between Intel Pentium III and Intel Celeron CPUs, clocked from 500 MHz up to 1 GHz, using a PGA370 socket. The system's RAM could be expanded up to 512 MB of 100 MHz 168-pin SDR SDRAM, constrained by the Intel 815 chipset and BIOS limitations that prevented booting with memory beyond this capacity.
Early versions were offered as "Legacy free" models—excluding parallel, serial, and PS/2 ports but incorporating USB connectors at the rear—and traditional models that retained legacy ports but provided USB only on the front panel. A subsequent update introduced refreshed aesthetics along with a backpack accessory that reinstated legacy port functionality.
Typically pre-installed with Windows 98 or Windows 2000, iPAQ Desktops supported upgrades to Windows XP. They are also capable of running Windows Vista and Windows 7, although the onboard video controller requires specialized Intel815 drivers to ensure Windows XP compatibility when operating under Windows 7.
Internet appliance
In the early 2000s, Compaq briefly marketed iPAQ variants serving as internet appliances. These models omitted CD-ROM drives and featured minimal connectivity options tailored for basic online access.
There were two flat-panel iPAQ versions: a widely available white model based on Windows CE and a less common blue 'Clipper' edition. The Windows CE variant, sometimes referred to as the 'MSN Messenger version', functioned exclusively through the Microsoft Network using dial-up connections with Windows CE's Internet Explorer browser.
The Clipper model targeted business users and operated on a streamlined OS derived from BeOS, known as BeIA. It included a customized "Wagner" browser built on Opera. Equipped with a standard 10BASE-T Ethernet port, this device permitted command-line access for customization tasks such as adding corporate logos during startup. Additionally, it supported a Minitel client catering to markets like Canada and France.