History of the Laptop Computer
The history of the laptop computer is a bit confusing as a lot of very similar products seemed to hit the market all at the same time. The year 1983 was the starting point of the portability revolution in computer design.
The idea that led to the laptop computer might very well have come from the work of a man named Alan Kay of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in the early 1970’s. PARC gave us many of the innovations that revolutionized the computer world, but the laptop idea began as a simple prototype designed for children as an educational tool. The idea was further advanced by a machine called the Xerox Notetaker. This prototype was built mainly to show that it could be done and only 10 were ever made.
Many people give the Osborne I Portable Computer the credit for being the first commercially successful laptop. Introduced in 1983, it sold for about $1795 dollars and was the size of a portable sewing machine. It could be carried onto aircraft, however, and this first example of portability caught on quickly. The Osborne I needed an external power source and it had a very small CRT screen, but it was portable. The major companies were quick to jump onto the laptop bandwagon, and the company making the Osborne I quickly went into bankruptcy.
The years 1983-1984 saw a number of products introduced in rapid order. Each added something new to the equation as the laptop evolved into its present form. The Compaq Portable used MS-DOS, and was more compatible to IBM PC’s than even IBM’s first laptop entry. The GRiD Compass 1101 was the first to use the now familiar “clamshell” design where the screen and keyboard closed on a hinge like a notebook. This machine was very expensive, however, selling at between $8,000 and $10,000. It was used mainly by the military and NASA.
The Gavilan SC was the first portable to use the name “laptop” in its advertising and it also introduced the touchpad device that is not commonly used. The first real commercially successful portable was the Kyocera Kyotronic 85 that later became the Tandy TRS-80, Model 100. The real turning point in the history of the laptop came in 1995, when Microsoft introduced Microsoft Windows 95. Although some manufacturers complained that this limited their ability to be innovative in design, lack of operating conformity had been one of the major drawbacks of portable computers until that time.
In the last two decades there have been major improvements in several areas leading to the modern laptop. Improved batteries and power saving processors addressed the power issues. Improved LCD technology has led to better and light, thinner monitors. There has been improved storage capacity making the laptops comparable in memory and performance. The impact of these improvements is reflected in the fact that the laptop posting the best sales improvements in the computer field.