The Laptop Computer :: Mobile Computing Portable

Alan Kay has remarked that had Vannevar Bush enjoyed working in all-night coffee shops, he would have invented the takeout computer. (Press, 1993, p.31) The laptop computer has had a tremendous impact in the areas of business, education, government, and individual(prenominal) use. The emergence of portable computing and the laptop computer can be traced to the introduction of the personal computer itself. In 1975, the MITS Altair 8800 was introduced. The Altair is recognized as macrocosm the first commercially successful personal computer and the launching summit for the personal computer revolution (Sysop, n.d.). Almost simultaneously, the idea of portability (in particular for the business-person) became a major focus in the industry. This new desire for computing portability introduced a number of new challenges. Factors such as apostrophize, weight, power source, screen & keyboard size, general size, and included software presented great challenges to compu ter system designers. There is somewhat debate regarding which machine holds claim to being the first portable computer, as portable was a relative term used quite liberally. The earlier portables, while heavy by todays standards, shared the park characteristic of integrating a keyboard, memory, processor(s), display, and expandability potential into a single building block able to be transported. In 1975, about one month aft(prenominal) the Altairs debut, IBM introduced the 5100 dubbed the IBM Portable PC. There were few personal computers available some this time, making the powerful 5100 very attractive as a unload portable system (Sysop, n.d.). At almost 60 pounds and a cost of $9,000-$20,000 however, it was attractive to a small audience. It was designed specifically for professional and scientific problem-solvers. Several years later saw the introduction of what most historians conjure to as the first truly portable computer, the Osborne 1 (Bellis, 2005). Released in 1981, the Osborne 1 weighed about 24 pounds and sold for $1795. While the unit itself was still quite bulky, it contained a fold-out keyboard, 5 inch monitor, and two floppy disk drives. Its biggest respect however, was the $1500 worth of software that came with it. Unlike the IBM 5100, the Osborne 1 optionally ran on stamp battery packs, enabling true portability. Advances in technology saw the decrease in size of portable computers, as well as an increase in computing power.