IBM's Dominance of the Computer Industry The dominance that IBM enjoyed over the computer industry from the mid-1950's to the mid-1970's was not achieved primarily through superior technology, but through superior marketing and customer service. IBM realized that customer were interested in solutions to problems rather that the technical merits of a machine. With this in mind, IBM took a total- system approach to computers, not just a central processing unit approach. Even early on, IBM realized that it was important to make its products accessible to its customers. Thus, its computers were modular in design, which made them easier