seems
Well, there's the choice. They could have cost-optimized PCs just like the others did. But they wanted so much dough that aspiring consultants like me back then who needed a industrial-quality computer bought other brands, in my case Tandon.
I think it was there, because others did it and IBM did it later as well. With their ThinkPad line which had a great cast-iron reputation.
They sort of always were, delivering turn-key installations (my pa put many of those in place, huge installations). They were also good in special machinery, we designed die bonders together with them.
IBM could have really turned the corner with OS/2, back then the best OS since sliced bread. But everything was kept quite proprietary and expensive and that's not the way to make a fortune in the computer world. At least not since the mid 80's.