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| The History Of Laptop Computers. |
By:
Dencho Denchev |
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| Have you ever wondered where the sleek new portable PC’s of
today came from? How did they get so small, and so fast?
It’s true that modern notebook computers have undergone many
changes throughout the years.
In this article I will attempt to put together a rough history
and timeline based on the laptop computer. I say rough because
no one can really put a finger on who developed the first
mobile computer. Anyways, let’s get started!
Computer buffs may not know who created the first laptop, but
most will agree that Alan Kay of the Xerox Palo Alto research
center was the first to come up with the idea of the portable
PC in the 1970’s. Kay envisioned a portable computer much like
the ones found today – Something small and lightweight that
anyone could afford.
Some say that the first notebook that was actually built in
1979 by William Moggridge who was with Grid Systems Corp. It
featured 340 kilobytes of memory, a folding screen, and was
made of metal (magnesium). This was hardly like the laptop
computers found today, but it was a start.
Arguably, the next mobile computer produced was in 1983 by
Gavilan Computers. This laptop featured 64 – 128 megabytes
of memory, a touchpad mouse, and even a portable printer.
Weighing in at 9 pounds without the printer, this computer
was actually only a few pounds heavier than notebooks found
today.
Gavilan later failed largely due to their computer being
incompatible with other computers – Mainly because the
Gavilan laptop used their own operating system.
Apple Computers introduced the apple IIc model in 1984,
but it wasn’t all that much better than what Gavilan had
produced a year earlier. It did feature an optional LCD
panel which had on impact on later notebooks.
Finally in 1986 a true laptop was created by IBM called the
IBM PC Convertible. I say “true” because unlike a few of the
others, this laptop didn’t have to be setup everywhere. And
unlike the others it featured two modern 3.5 inch floppy
drives, and space for an internal modem! Also found on the
Convertible was an LCD screen and basic applications the user
could use to create word documents, and schedule appointments.
Maybe most interesting was that the IBM PC Convertible sold
for $3500! Of course you would be hard pressed to find that
price tag on any laptop these days – (They have gone way down).
Since the late 80’s many manufacturers have come forward to
produce new machines that are even faster and more powerful
than their previous counterparts. These days the buyer has
a lot of choice, and laptops are faster than ever.
About the author:
Dencho Denchev is in the computers world since year 1996.
The experience allow him to create a big collection of value
computer tips and articles including other authors
publications located here:
http://DenchoDenchev.com/computer/ |
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