Pics: 30 years of portable computers
 

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Portable computing flashback
The year was 1981 and a device, that was to herald a generation of ubiquitous mobile computing devices, was launched. The Osborne 1 was released in April 1981 by the Osborne Computer Corporation, and is considered as the first commercially successful portable microcomputer.

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The computer weighed 10.7 kg and was priced at $1795. It ran on the CP/M 2.2 operating system. The Osborne 1 had a 13-centimetre (5-inch) display.

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The Osborne 1 sold over 11,000 units in the first eight months and was discontinued in 1983 when its successor Executive model OCC-2 was launched. The Osborne Computer Corporation later filed for bankruptcy in September 1983.

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The precursor to the Osborne 1 was the 1976 Xerox NoteTaker prototype, but it did not enter commercial production.

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In 1982 Kaypro Corporation launched the Kaycomp I, which was only a demonstration model for prospective buyers. Kaypro released the Kaypro II, soon after a competitor to the Osborne 1. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1991.