When we pick up an ultra-thin today laptop Weighing less than a kilogram, it's hard to imagine that the first portable computers weighed as much as a suitcase full of bricks and cost as much as a car. The history of the first laptop goes back to the mid-1970s, when engineers were just beginning to dream of computers that could be taken with them. But who exactly became the pioneer? And why IBM 5100, released in 1975, is often called the "grandfather" of all modern laptops?
In this article we will figure out which devices claim the title the first laptop in the world, how they worked and why their creation was a revolution. You'll learn about little-known prototypes, commercial failures, and technical limitations that seem absurd today. And also why the first “real” laptop Osborne 1 (1981) was sold with... $1,500 worth of free software!
1975: IBM 5100 — the first laptop computer or a brilliant calculator?
Officially the first laptop in the world considered IBM 5100 Portable Computer, introduced in September 1975. But there is a nuance here: this device was more like a hybrid of a programmable calculator and a minicomputer than a modern laptop. His weight was 25 kg (like two modern system units), and the price is $8975 (about $45,000 in terms of 2026). For comparison: the average salary in the United States then was $14,000 per year.
Specifications IBM 5100 today will make you smile:
- 🖥️ Processor: 16-bit IBM PALM (1.9 MHz)
- 💾 Memory: 16–64 KB RAM (expandable to 64 KB)
- 📀 Storage: Built-in tape or cassette (up to 204 KB)
- 🔋 Food: only from the mains (no batteries!)
- 📺 Display: Monochrome 5" CRT screen (16 lines x 64 characters)
Interesting fact: IBM 5100 could work with two programming languages - APL And BASIC, which made it popular among engineers and scientists. However, its main drawback - the lack of connectivity to peripherals (printers, external drives) - limited its use. By 1982, the model was discontinued, having sold only about 20,000 units.
⚠️ Attention: If you see it at auction IBM 5100 at a price below $5,000, it is most likely a fake. Original devices today cost $10,000–$30,000 and are considered rarities.
Competitors of the 1970s: who else claims to be the “first laptop”?
While IBM 5100 Often called the first, in fact, in the 1970s, several devices appeared that can be considered the “great-grandfathers” of modern laptops. Here are the key models:
| Model | Year of manufacture | Weight | Features | Price (then/today) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xerox NoteTaker | 1976 (prototype) | 22 kg | The first prototype with a keyboard and screen, but did not go into production | — / — |
| HP-9830A | 1972 | 18 kg | "Portable" calculator with printer and magnetic tape | $5900 / ~$40 000 |
| Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 | 1983 | 1.4 kg | First real laptop computer with battery | $1099 / ~$3200 |
| Epson HX-20 | 1982 | 1.6 kg | The first laptop with an LCD screen and a printer | $1295 / ~$3800 |
Stands apart Xerox NoteTaker — research center project Palo Alto, which never made it to market. The device had an 8-inch screen, a keyboard, and even supported a mouse (a new product at that time!). However, due to the high cost ($50,000+ in modern equivalent), the project was closed.
- IBM 5100
- Xerox NoteTaker
- Epson HX-20
- Radio Shack TRS-80
- HP-9830A
But Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 (1983) is already more like a laptop: weight 1.4 kg, battery powered, built-in modem and text editor. He was even taken into space! NASA astronauts used Model 100 on shuttles for records and calculations.
1981: Osborne 1 - the first commercially successful "laptop"
If IBM 5100 was an experiment, then Osborne 1 became the first mass-produced laptop computer. Its creator Adam Osborne (former employee Xerox), set a goal: to make a computer that can be taken on a plane. Result? The device weighs 10.7 kg with a 5-inch screen and costs $1,795.
What did Osborne 1 revolutionary:
- 💼 Full set of software: included were $1500 worth of programs (text editor, spreadsheets, BASIC, assembler)
- 🔋 Autonomy: could work on battery power (though only 1 hour)
- 📦 Portability: closed like a suitcase, took up little space when folded
- 💾 Two disk drives: 5.25" floppy disks (91 KB each!)
In the first year, 11,000 copies were sold - a record for that time. However, Osborne 1 there was a fatal flaw: a tiny 5-inch screen with a resolution of 52x24 characters. For comparison: a modern smartphone has 100 times more pixels!
Why did Osborne go bankrupt?
Adam Osborne announced two new models (Osborne Executive and Osborne Vixen) long before their release. Customers stopped buying Osborne 1 in anticipation of new products, which led to the company going bankrupt in 1983. This case went down in history as the “Osborne effect.”
Technical limitations of the first laptops: what will surprise us today
It is difficult for a modern user to imagine what problems the owners of the first laptops faced. Here are a few facts that seem absurd today:
- No hard drive: Data was saved to cassettes or floppy disks. For example, IBM 5100 used magnetic tape cassettes, and the reading speed was... 200 bytes per second.
- No operating system: Programs were loaded from external media. The concept of "booting the OS" came later.
- 256 character screen: Osborne 1 displayed only 52x24 text. By comparison, a 280 character tweet would not fit on his screen!
- Price like a car: $20,000 per IBM 5100 in 1975 - this is the cost of a new one Ford Mustang.
Another interesting point: the first laptop keyboards were mechanical, with full key travel (like a typewriter). This made typing convenient, but added weight. For example, keyboard Osborne 1 weighed almost 2 kg!
If you get your hands on an old laptop from the 1980s, don't try to turn it on without a professional. Capacitors in power supplies may have failed over 40 years and pose a danger.
Evolution after 1985: how laptops became "laptops"
By the mid-1980s the term "laptop"not yet used - they were called"laptop computers" or "laptops". Everything changed with the advent of:
- 📱 Compaq Portable (1983) - the first IBM-compatible "portable" PC (weight 12 kg)
- 💻 Toshiba T1100 (1985) - the first laptop with 3.5-inch floppy disks and weighing 4 kg
- 🖥️ Apple Macintosh Portable (1989) - the first portable Mac (weight 7.2 kg, price $6500)
Exactly Toshiba T1100 became the first device that could be held on your lap (lap), hence the name "laptop". And in 1991 Apple released PowerBook 100 is the first laptop with a trackball and ergonomic design that we recognize today.
Weight less than 5 kg|Autonomous battery operation|Built-in screen (not pluggable)|Keyboard in case|Hard drive or floppy drive-->
Myths about the first laptop: what is not true
There are often mistakes about your first laptop on the Internet. Let's look at the most common ones:
⚠️ Attention: Dynabook (1968) - this not a laptop, and Alan Kay's concept from Xerox PARC. There was no real device, only sketches and ideas.
Myth 1: "The first laptop was released by Apple." Reality: Apple released its first portable computer only in 1989 (Macintosh Portable), 14 years later IBM 5100.
Myth 2: "The first laptops were colored." Reality: Color screens only appeared in the late 1980s. Before this, all laptops had monochrome CRT or LCD displays.
Myth 3: "Laptops in the 1980s could connect to the Internet." Reality: The Internet in the modern sense appeared only in the 1990s. In the 1980s, modems were used to access BBS (electronic bulletin board systems) at speeds of 300–1200 bps.
FAQ: answers to frequently asked questions about your first laptop
🔍 Why IBM 5100 hasn't become widespread?
The main reasons: high price ($9000+), heavy weight (25 kg), inability to connect a printer or external storage devices. In addition, it was positioned as a tool for engineers, and not for a wide range of users.
💰 How much did the first laptop cost in today's money?
IBM 5100 (1975) cost $8975, equivalent to ~$45,000 in 2026. For comparison: MacBook Pro The maximum configuration today costs about $6,000.
🖥️ What screen resolution did the first laptop have?
IBM 5100 had a monochrome CRT screen with a resolution of 64x16 characters (not pixels!). This is approximately 1024x256 pixels, if translated into modern terms - like a cash register screen.
⚡ Could the first laptops run on battery power?
IBM 5100 - no, only from the network. The first laptop with a battery was Osborne 1 (1981), but its battery lasted only 1 hour. Epson HX-20 (1982) ran on 4 AA batteries for up to 50 hours!
📱 Which laptop was the first with a touch screen?
The first mass-produced laptop with a touch screen was Grid Systems GridPad (1989). It weighed 4.5 kg and cost $2370. The sensor was resistive and required the use of a stylus.
First laptop IBM 5100 (1975) was more of a "portable minicomputer" than a laptop in the modern sense. The real revolution began with Osborne 1 (1981) and Epson HX-20 (1982), who first proposed a balance between portability and functionality.