The IBM 4683 was IBM's first PC-based

point of sale The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice f ...

(POS) system. It was introduced in 1985. The system consists of a PC-based controller and

thin client In computer networking, a thin client is a simple (low-performance) computer that has been optimized for establishing a remote connection with a server-based computing environment. They are sometimes known as ''network computers'', or in th ...

based POS workstations, typically with a

Token Ring Token Ring network IBM hermaphroditic connector with locking clip. Screen contacts are prominently visible, gold-plated signal contacts less so. Token Ring is a computer networking technology used to build local area networks. It was introduc ...

network. The system requires an IBM

AS/400 The IBM AS/400 (Application System/400) is a family of midrange computers from IBM announced in June 1988 and released in August 1988. It was the successor to the System/36 and System/38 platforms, and ran the OS/400 operating system. Lower-cost ...

server to be in the network. The 4683 is still used today by some retailers (such as TOYS "R" US in the UK). However the 4683 has been phased out by some retailers to its more modern successors, the IBM 4693 and the

IBM 4694 The IBM 4694 was one of IBM's PC based point of sale (POS) systems, a successor to the IBM 4683 and IBM 4693. Introduced in 1991, the 4694 became a flagship model for the company's SurePOS system. The system consists of a PC-based controller, and ...

See also