In 1994, IBM released the AS/400 Advanced/36. Priced as low as $7995, it was a machine that allowed System/36 users to get faster and more modern hardware while "staying 36." Based on standard AS/400 hardware, the Advanced/36 could run SSP, the operating system of the System/36, alone, or within AS/400's OS/400 as a "virtual machine" so that it could be upgraded to a full-blown AS/400 for just extra licensing costs. The A/36 was slightly larger than a common PC cabinet and could easily be mistaken for a 1990s-era tower PC. System/36 cabinets were white (actually "off-white") and the Advanced/36 was black.