History of Laptops, the Start

Considering how technology evolved, it is rather impossible to conclusively pinpoint the very first laptop as we know it together. However, the 1070s paved the way for the miniaturization of computer systems. Over the past years, several companies have directly and indirectly aided the process of making computers smaller to the size that is considered a portable computer in today’s world.

Find below a chronological description of the evolution of the computer from its big size into a much more portable version.

The 1970s

The 1970s ushered the dawn of the miniaturization of computers. In 1975, IBM 5100 is considered as the first portable computer. At 55 pounds, it was a breakthrough that set the pace for the development of laptops in the near future.

Soon after, Dynabook (Xerox PARC) was developed in 1976, which further developed the idea of a smaller computer. Three years later, GRiD Compass became the smallest computer in the world. It was so good it was used in the NASA space program of the 1980s.

The 1980s

A year into the new decade, in 1981, Adam Osborne developed the first true laptop (portable computer). The computer is called Osborne I. It had a 5-in display and weighed 24.5 pounds. Within the same year, Epson HX-20 was released. This computer came with the first integrated printer.

In 1983, TRS-80 was released by Kyocera, which was a Japanese company. It was the first laptop to feature an LCD display. A few years after its release, Radio Shack brought the rights of the computer.

The first full-colored display was the Commodore SX-64, which was developed by Commodore in 1984. Although it is considered an integral part of the development of portable computers, this device was relatively heavy and weighed about 20 pounds.

The PC Convertible, released in 1986 by IBM, quickly set the bar higher as it was the first laptop to weigh 12 pounds.

In 1987, Vectra Portable CS was created by HP. It became the first portable computer to have a floppy disk, which was already popular with desktop computers. Within the same year, the American Air Forced purchased hundreds of thousands of laptop computers. This decision was a catalyst that made the use of laptops popular.

A year after, Compaq SLT/286 became the first laptop to have an internal storage hard drive and a VGA graphics while being powered by a battery.

1989 saw the emergence of Macintosh Portable (by Apple) and NEC UltraLite (by NEC). The NEC UltraLite was the first laptop to take the notebook feature while weighing below 5 pounds.

The 1990s

The failure of the Macintosh Portable prompted Apple to release PowerBook in 1991. On the other hand, Intel and Microsoft teamed up to create an APM requirement for laptops.

The touchpad was first introduced by Olivetti in 1992. This development was another defining moment in the development of present-day laptops.

In 1994, the ThinkPad by IBM was the first laptop to ever have a built-in CD-ROM. This advancement future solidified the essence of the portability of laptops.

The 2000s

The 2000s further institutionalized the use of laptops around the world. In 2002 and 2003, Toshiba produced two different editions of Portege 2000 and M100, which were the thinnest laptop and the slimmest laptop with a CD-ROM feature.

Since then, many more laptops have built on these advancements. Modern-day laptops have evolved to be as thins as possible. Many laptops are increasingly being produced with less external features such as CD-ROM in an attempt to make these devices as thin as possible.

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