On April 3rd, 1981 — thirty years ago today — Adam Osborne unveiled the Osborne 1 on the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. It had a 4 MHz Zilog Z80 CPU, two single-sided floppy drives, 64K of RAM, and a five-inch monochrome CRT display. Nothing particularly special there, even back inside the day. No, what made the Osborne 1 extraordinary was the truth that the 24-pound plastic machine had a carrying handle at the back — and on the bargain price of $1,795 with software included, it became one of the vital first mass-produced portable computers to succeed. Which, obviously, spurred competitors to create a military of much more “luggable,” loveable machines. Shortly after helping to vary the process history, Osborne and his computer fell into a spiral of pain , however the next time you admire the style your ultralight slides right into a manila envelope, you’ll know who to thank. Discover a short but sweet chronicle of the Osborne 1 at our Technologizer link.
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