Timeline of portable computers

Short description: None

Year | Price | CPU @ MHz | Computer name | Comment

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1954  |  | Vacuum tube: Diode gates, tube amplifiers and electrical delay lines @ 1  | DYSEAC | For the military, movable by truck.
1955  | ~US$86,074 (1,010,000 in 2024)  | Custom vacuum tube CPU @ 0.01  | Monrobot V  | For the military, movable by truck. Used for surveying and mapmaking.
1957  | ~US$70,500 (789,300 in 2024) / RECOMP II  | Transistorized: Printed circuit cards @ ?  | RECOMP I CP-266  | For the military, movable by two men.
1959  | ~US$1,600,000 (17,300,000 in 2024) / MOBIDIC A  | Custom transistor CPU (inverter logic) @ 1 / MOBIDIC B  | MOBIDIC | Truck-based for the military, five were built and deployed. Sylvania later offered a commercial version as the S 9400.

Clock speed is unknown but ADD instructions are documented as taking 16μs, i.e. ~62k ADD/s.

1960  | ~US$6,900,000 (73,300,000 in 2024) (development)[1] | Modular circuit boards @ 0.448  | FADAC  | For the military, movable by two men.
1960  | ~US$125,600 (1,321,600 in 2024) | Standard Modular System with complementary diode-transistor logic @ 0.087 | IBM 1401 | Truck-based for military,[2][3] also touring Datamobile[4] for demos.
1960  | ~US$40,500 (426,200 in 2024)[5] | Plug-in circuit modules @ 2[6][7] | PB 250 | Portable as the control computer for commercial mobile (by van) data systems. Can operate entirely from a battery.
1961  | ~US$500,000 (5,300,000 in 2024)  | Custom transistor CPU @ 1  | BASICPAC  | For the military, movable by truck.
1962  | ~US$40,000 (420,000 in 2024)  | Circuit modules (micromodular)[8] @ ?  | L-2010 | For the military.
1967  |  | Integrated circuit @ ?  | CDC 449  | For the military.[9][10][11]
1975  | US$8975  | IBM PALM processor @ 1.9  | IBM 5100 Portable Computer[12] | 64K = US$17,975.
1975  | US$4000  | Motorola 6800 @ 1  | MIT Suitcase Computer  | 4K SRAM, approx. 20 lbs. Built by David Emberson in the MIT Digital Systems Laboratory as a thesis project. Currently in the collection of Dr. Hoo-Min D. Toong.
1976  | US$50,000  | Z80? @ 1  | Xerox NoteTaker |
1977  | US$2495  | Z80  | Versatile 2[13][14] |
1978  | US$10,225  | IBM PALM processor @ 1.9  | IBM 5110[15] |
1979  | US$375  | 6502 @ 1, 1K  | Rockwell AIM-65 | 20-character alphanumeric display.[13][16][17]
1979  | US$3250  | Custom HP 8-bit @ 0.613  | Hewlett-Packard Model 85[18] |
1980  |  | ?  | PA512 | Made in Serbia.
1980  | US$230  | SC43177, SC43178  | TRS-80 Pocket Computer[19] |
1980  |  | Intel 8085 @ 2.0  | Portal R2E CCMC | The Portal was a portable microcomputer designed and marketed by the studies and developments department of the French firm R2E Micral in 1980 at the request of the company CCMC specializing in payroll and accounting. It was equipped with a central 64 KB RAM, a keyboard with 58 alpha numeric keys and 11 numeric keys (separate blocks), a 32-character screen, a floppy disk: capacity = 140000 characters, of a thermal printer: speed = 28 characters / second, an asynchronous channel, a synchronous channel, a 220 V power supply. Designed for an operating temperature of 15–35 °C, it weighed 12 kg and its dimensions were 45 x 45 x 15 cm. It provided total mobility. Its operating system was PROLOGUE.
1981  | US$1795  | Z80 @ 4.0  | Osborne 1 |
1981  | US$795  | 2× Hitachi 6301 @ 0.614  | Epson HX-20[20] |
1981  |  | Z80 compatible  | Husky (computer)[21] |
1982  |  | 8088 @ 4.77  | Columbia Data Products |
1982  |  | Z80A @ 4  | Grundy NewBrain |
1982  |  | Z80 @ 2.5  | Kaypro |
1982  | US$8000[22] | 8086 @ ?  | Grid Compass 1100  | NASA laptop
1982  |  | Z80 @ 4.0  | Osborne Executive |
1983  |  | x86 | Hyperion (computer) |
1983  |  | x86 | Compaq Portable |
1983  | US$1099  | 80C85 @ 2.4  | TRS-80 Model 100 | 40 × 8 LCD
1983  |  | Z80A, 8086, 128K  | Seequa Chameleon[13] |
1983  |  | Z80A @ 3.4  | Sord IS-11 |
1983  | US$1595  | Z80A @ 4  | Zorba |
1984  | US$4225  | 8088 @ 4.77  | IBM 5155[23] |
1984  |  | Z80  | Actrix (computer) |
~1984  |  | 8088 @ 4.77  | Bondwell-8 |
1984  | US$995  | Z80 @ 2.45  | Epson PX-8 Geneva[24] |
1984  |  | 6502 @ 1.02  | Commodore SX-64 | First portable with color display
1984  |  | x86 | Data General-One |
1984  |  | Z80 @ 4.0  | Osborne Vixen |
1984  |  | 80C88 | ZP-150 |
1984  | US$595  |  | HP-71B  | Calculator programmable in BASIC
1984  | US$2995  | Harris 80C86 @ 5.33 | HP 110 | 80 × 16 LCD, 300-baud modem
1984  | 1965 GBP  | 8086 @ 4.77  | Apricot Portable | First portable computer with 25-line LCD. Included speech recognition, wireless keyboard, and optional wireless mouse
1985  | US$995  | Z80 @ 4  | Bondwell-2 |
1985  |  | Harris 80C86 @ 5.33 | HP 110 Plus | 80 × 25 LCD, 1200-baud modem
1985  | US$1899  | Toshiba T1100 80C88 @ 4.77 | Toshiba T1100 | 80 × 25 LCD
1986  |  | 8088 @ 4.77  | IBM 5140 |
1986  |  | Intel 80286 @ 8  | Compaq Portable II |
1986  |  | ?  | LPA512 |
1987  |  | Z80  | Cambridge Z88 |
1988  |  | Intel 8088 | NEC UltraLite |
| 68HC000 @ 8  | Atari STacy |
1989  |  | Intel 8088 @ 4.9152  | Atari Portfolio |
1989  | US$2000  | Intel 80C88 @ 7  | Poqet PC (Classic)  |
1989  |  | 8086 @ 9.55  | Compaq LTE |
1989  |  | Motorola 68000 @ 16  | Macintosh Portable |
1989  |  | Motorola 68000 @ 15  | Outbound Laptop  |
1991  |  | Motorola 68000 @ 8  | ST BOOK[25][26] |
1991  |  | NEC V20 @ 5.37  | HP 95LX
1991  | US$2300  | Motorola 68000 @ 16  | Apple PowerBook 100 |
1992  |  | IBM 486SLC @ 25  | IBM ThinkPad 700  | The first ThinkPad
1992  |  | Z80, 64K  | Amstrad NC100 |
1992  | US$4950  | CY601 + CY604 @ 25 | SPARCbook1  | Unix with SunOS
1993  |  | Intel "Hornet" 80186 @ 7.91  | HP 100LX |
1993  |  | ?  | AlphaSmart |
1994  |  | Intel "Hornet" 80186 @ 7.91  | HP 200LX |
1995  |  | Intel 80486DX4 @ 75  | IBM ThinkPad Butterfly keyboard | IBM ThinkPad 701c and 701Cs, famous for their "Butterfly Keyboard" which slides into place when opening the lid
1996  |  | Intel Pentium @ 133  | Panasonic Toughbook CF-25 | The first Toughbook, an example of a ruggedized laptop
1997  |  | Intel Pentium @ 150  | IBM ThinkPad 380  | An average late-1990s notebook
2001  |  | SA-1110 @ 206 | SIMpad |
2001  |  | Intel Mobile Pentium III-M @ 1.2  | Dell Precision M40 | One of the world's first mobile workstation notebooks
2002  |  | Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.4  | Alienware Area 51-M | An early example of a gaming laptop: high performance desktop components in a notebook
2003  |  | Intel Pentium M @ 1.7  | IBM ThinkPad R50p  | Notable for its ultra high resolution 2048x1536 (QXGA) display option

## See also

* History of laptops

## References

1. ↑ United States. (1969). "Field Artillery Digital Automatic Computer (FADAC) - TOTAL FADAC COSTS". Hearings Cong. 91 Sess. 1 Appropriations V. 9 1969. 9: 645. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112202783561?urlappend=;seq=651.
2. ↑ "IBM 1401: The Mainframe". https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/mainframe/.
3. ↑ "Columbia University Computing History: IBM 1401". http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/1401.html.
4. ↑ "IBM 1401: Cultural Impacts". https://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/mainframe/impacts/.
5. ↑ Weik, Martin H. (Mar 1961). "PACKARD BELL 250". http://www.ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-p.html#PACKARD-BELL-250.
6. ↑ Beck, Robert Mark (30 December 1960). "PB-250 - A High Speed Serial General Purpose Computer Using Magnetostrictive Delay Line Storage" (in en). Managing Requirements Knowledge, International Workshop On(AFIPS): 284–285, 287. doi:10.1109/afips.1960.58. "The first production computer was delivered in October 1960.".
7. ↑ "The PB-250". https://www.cca.org/tech/rcs/pb250.html.
8. ↑ "The RCA Micromodule" (in en). http://www.chipsetc.com/the-rca-micromodule.html.
9. ↑ "Across the Editor's Desk: CONTROL DATA 449 COMPUTER". Computers and Automation 16 (11): 56. Nov 1967. https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_computersA_11670370/page/n55?q="CONTROL+DATA+449+COMPUTER".
10. ↑ Used in translocation backpack system (prototype) and as an onboard computer for Grumman planes
* "Translocation Backpack Systems". APL Technical Digest 9 (6): 10. July–August 1970. https://www.jhuapl.edu/techdigest/views/prior_issues.html#1970.
* Inc, InfoWorld Media Group (1983-11-28). "The Industry: Book excerpt: The Naked Computer - The smallest computer" (in en). InfoWorld (InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.) 5 (48): 162. https://books.google.com/books?id=sy8EAAAAMBAJ&q="cdc+449"&pg=PA162.
11. ↑ "Control Data 449 Computer Reference Manual". Oct 1967. http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/cdc/Tom_Hunter_Scans/CDC449_Computer_RM_Oct67.pdf.
12. ↑ "IBM 5100 computer". http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5100.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "MicrocomputerChronology". http://is2.lse.ac.uk/History/MicrocomputerChronology.htm. 090508 is2.lse.ac.uk
14. ↑ "old-computers.com : The Museum". https://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=345&st=1. 090508 old-computers.com
15. ↑ "IBM 5110 computer". http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5110.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
16. ↑ "Weird World of Hardware". http://www.trygve.com/hardweird.html. 090508 trygve.com
17. ↑ "Rockwell AIM-65 computer". http://oldcomputers.net/AIM-65.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
18. ↑ "Old Computers – rare, vintage, and obsolete computers". http://oldcomputers.net/index.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
19. ↑ "Radio Shack TRS-80 Pocket Computer". http://oldcomputers.net/trs80pc1.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
20. ↑ "Epson HX-20 computer". http://oldcomputers.net/hx-20.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
21. ↑ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=285. 090508 old-computers.com
22. ↑ "World's first laptop. Osborne 1 GRiD Compass 1101.". http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first407.html.
23. ↑ "IBM 5155 portable computer". http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5155.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
24. ↑ "Epson PX-8 computer". http://oldcomputers.net/px-8.html. 090508 oldcomputers.net
25. ↑ "Planet Irata: Atari ST Book Notebook Computer". http://www.geocities.com/~irata/stbook.html. 090508 geocities.com
26. ↑ "Chips in ATARI-Computern mit TOS-Betriebssystem". http://www.xs4all.nl/~ganswijk/chipdir/oth/atari.txt. 090508 xs4all.nl

## External links

* sdsu.edu – Early portable laptops

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