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History of Laptop Computer
The Osborne 1 was a product of Osborne Computer, which was founded by Adam Osborne. The innovations in this portable (at 24 lbs in weight) were several. Like a modern laptop, it can be closed for protection, and has a carrying handle. The Osborne even had an optional battery pack, making it truly portable. History of Laptop Computer - Osborne 1 The Osborne 1 had a 5'' screen, and couldn't display more than 52 characters per line. However, you could actually scroll the display back and forth with the cursor keys in order to show lines of text up to 128 characters wide. The first portable computer was a great success, with sales reaching 10,000 units a month soon after the launch. Although Osborne Computer filed for bankruptcy in 1983, the success of portable computers continued with the launch of the first Compaq Portable that same year. History of Laptop Computer - Developments Another portable computer was released in 1981, the Epson HX-20, a battery powered portable computer. The Epson HX-20 had a 20 character by 4 line LCD display and a built-in printer. IBM launched the IBM 5155 Portable Personal Computer in February 1984, at the same time when IBM compatibility had become very much a computer standard in PC computers. In 1988, Compaq Computer announces the first laptop PC with VGA graphics, Compaq SLT/286. During 1989, NEC releases UltraLite, which is the first "laptop" computer. Weighting under 5 lbs., it gave guidance to what has become today's model for a portable computer. Apple's first Macintosh Portable was released in 1989. The first combination of trackball / mouse designed for laptops was released in March 1991 by Microsoft. In 1993, laptop computers get a new niche, as first PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are released.
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