Who invented the first laptop and when: from <em>Dynabook</em> to modern ultrabooks

Today, laptops are an integral part of the lives of millions of people: from students to top managers. But few people realize that 50 years ago, portable computers seemed like a fantasy. The first prototypes weighed more than 10 kg, cost as much as a car and worked from the network - they could hardly be called “mobile”. So when did it appear first real laptop, and who was at the origins of this revolution?

The answer is not as clear-cut as it might seem. The fact is that the term “laptop” (notebook) appeared later than the devices themselves, which we call so today. In the 1970s and 1980s, engineers experimented with formats ranging from Osborne 1 (1981) with 5" screen up to GRiD Compass (1982), which NASA has used in space missions. And the idea of a “computer in a briefcase” originated even earlier - in the head of a Japanese visionary Yoichi Sakamoto, who in 1968 proposed the concept Dynabook. Let's figure out how this technology developed and why modern ultrabooks weigh less than a kilogram, and their ancestors weighed like a suitcase full of bricks.

1968: Dynabook - the “grandfather” of all laptops

Officially the first working laptop prototype appeared only in the 1980s, but the theoretical basis was laid a decade earlier. In 1968, a scientist from Japan Yoichi Sakamoto (from the laboratory Xerox PARC) described a device called Dynabook - “dynamic book”. It was a concept personal laptop computer for education, which:

• 📱 Had a flat panel display (similar to modern screens, not CRT monitors).
• 🔋 Operated from a battery, not from an outlet.
• 📚 It was the size of a notebook and weighed about 1 kg.
• 🎮 Supported multimedia and interactive learning.

Unfortunately, technologies for implementation Dynabook did not exist in the 1960s. For example, LCD screens were just beginning to be developed, and microprocessors were palm-sized. Nevertheless, Sakamoto's ideas inspired an entire era: it was in Xerox PARC later created the graphical user interface (GUI) that Windows and macOS use today. Without Dynabook there wouldn't be any MacBook, nor Surface Pro — his influence on the industry is difficult to overestimate.

IBM 5100 (1975): the first "portable" computer (but not a laptop)

If we talk about first commercial laptop computers, then the palm is often given to IBM 5100, Released September 1975. However, calling it a laptop in the modern sense is hard to come by:

• ⚖️ Weight: 25 kg (like two buckets of water).
• 💰 Price: $9000–$20 000 (about $50,000 in terms of 2026).
• 🖥️ Screen: 5-inch monochrome (displayed only 16 lines of text).
• 🔋 Power: only from the network (there were no batteries).

Essentially IBM 5100 was portable terminal for business purposes, not a personal computer. It was bought by banks and the military, not ordinary users. However, it was the first device that could theoretically transport from place to place - even with the help of a cart. Fun fact: inside IBM 5100 language used APL, which is still used in financial calculations.

⚠️ Attention: IBM 5100 often confused with the first laptop, but this is a mistake. It did not have a modern keyboard (it was built into the case as part of the device) and did not operate on a battery. Real laptops came later, in the early 1980s.

1981: Osborne 1 - the first mass-produced “laptop” (in quotes)

Exactly Osborne 1, Released April 1981, commonly referred to as first commercially successful laptop computer. Its creator Adam Osborne, set the goal of making a device that could be taken with you on a plane - and he almost succeeded. Here are the key characteristics:

Parameter	Osborne 1 (1981)	For comparison: MacBook Air (2026)
Weight	10.7 kg	1.24 kg
Screen	5" monochrome (24x52 characters)	13,6" Retina (2560×1664)
Processor	Zilog Z80 (4 MHz)	Apple M3 (up to 3.7 GHz)
Memory	64 KB RAM	8–24 GB RAM
Price	$1795 (~$6000 in 2026)	from $999

Osborne 1 sold with pre-installed software (including WordStar And SuperCalc) and had two drives for 5.25-inch floppy disks. Its main disadvantage is no battery: The device required a power outlet. However, in the first year it was sold 11,000 copies - a record for that time. Unfortunately, the company Osborne Computer went bankrupt in 1983 due to marketing mistakes (they announced a new model too early and customers stopped buying the old one).

1982: GRiD Compass — laptop for NASA and the Pentagon

Bye Osborne 1 conquered the market, company engineers GRiD Systems were working on a device that would be a real breakthrough. GRiD Compass 1101, Released April 1982, was:

• 🔋 The first battery-powered laptop (nickel-cadmium battery for 1–2 hours of operation).
• 🖥️ Equipped electroluminescent screen (320x240 pixels, monochrome).
• 💼 Weighed 5.4 kg - two times less than Osborne 1.
• 🚀 Used by NASA in the program Space Shuttle (the first computer in space!).

Price GRiD Compass amounted to $8000–$10 000, so it was bought mainly by the military and scientists. Interestingly, the device was running own OS (not DOS!) and had touch screen - a rarity for the 1980s. Today original GRiD Compass - rarity: they can be seen in technology museums, for example, in Computer History Museum (California).

Why GRiD Compass hasn't become widespread?

The main reason is the high price and focus on professionals. In addition, in 1983 there appeared Compaq Portable (the first IBM-compatible "portable PC"), which was cheaper and supported standard software.

1982–1985: era of experimentation - from Epson HX-20 to Kaypro II

The mid-1980s saw the rapid development of portable computers. Manufacturers competed in miniaturization, and models appeared on the market that could already be called “laptops” in the modern sense. Here are the key milestones:

Epson HX-20 (1982) - first real laptop Battery powered and LCD screen. His weight was only 1.6 kg, and the price is $800. The device had:

• 📟 Built-in microprinter (printed on thermal paper).
• 🔋 Battery for 50 hours of operation (!).
• 💾 External cassette drive for saving data.

Kaypro II (1982) - competitor Osborne 1, but with two disk drives and a metal body. It weighed 13 kg, but was more reliable and popular in the business environment.

Sharp PC-5000 (1983) - the first laptop with 3.5" floppy disks (the standard that all PCs later used).

Toshiba T1100 (1985) - the first laptop from Toshiba, which became a bestseller in Europe. It was he who laid the foundation for future lines Satellite And Portégé.

Weight less than 5 kg|Liquid crystal display (LCD)|Battery-powered operation|Includes a disk drive or cassette drive|Price below $3000-->

1989–1991: revolution Macintosh Portable And IBM ThinkPad

By the end of the 1980s, laptops became smaller, but still remained bulky. Two legendary models changed the situation:

Apple Macintosh Portable (1989) - the first portable Macwhich cost $6500 and weighed 7.2 kg. Despite the failure in sales (due to weight and price), he introduced several innovations:

• 🖱️ Trackball instead of a mouse (predecessor of the touchpad).
• 🔋 Battery for 8–10 hours (a record for that time).
• 🖥️ Monochrome screen with resolution 640×400 (better than competitors).

IBM ThinkPad 700C (1992) - a device that set the laptop standard for the 1990s. Its features:

• 🎨 Color screen (the first in mass-market laptops).
• 🖱️ Red joystick (TrackPoint) instead of a trackball.
• 💼 Weight 3.5 kg - almost like modern gaming laptops.
• 💰 Price: $4350 (about $9000 today).

ThinkPad became so successful that the brand survived the sale IBM companies Lenovo in 2005. Today ThinkPad is one of the most recognizable brands in the laptop world, and its design (black body, red joystick) has remained almost unchanged for 30 years.

💡

IBM ThinkPad 700C (1992) was the first laptop with a color screen and TrackPoint, laying the foundation for all modern business laptops.

Modern laptops: from Netbook to MacBook Air

The 1990s and 2000s brought explosive growth to the laptop market. Here are the key milestones:

• 📉 1996: IBM ThinkPad 560 - the first laptop with Li-Ion battery (replaced nickel-cadmium).
• 💻 2000: Sony VAIO C1 - the first laptop with OLED screen (but cost $2500).
• 🌐 2007: Asus Eee PC - beginning of an era netbooks (lightweight, cheap, for the Internet).
• ☁️ 2008: MacBook Air - first ultrabook (thickness 1.94 cm, weight 1.36 kg).
• 🎮 2010s: appearance gaming laptops (Alienware, MSI) with desktop-level video cards.

Today laptops are divided into categories:

Type	Examples	Features
Ultrabooks	MacBook Air, Dell XPS 13	Thin, light, long battery, but weak graphics.
Gaming	ASUS ROG Zephyrus, Alienware m16	Powerful video cards, heavy, short operating time.
Transformers	Microsoft Surface Pro, Lenovo Yoga	Touch screen, detachable keyboard, tablet mode.
Business laptops	Lenovo ThinkPad X1, HP EliteBook	Durable, good keyboard and security.

⚠️ Attention: Modern ultrabooks (for example, MacBook Air M2) perform better than many desktop PCs of the 2010s, but their cannot be upgraded - memory and storage are soldered to the motherboard. This is a compromise for compactness.

FAQ: answers to frequently asked questions about the history of laptops

🔍 Who came up with the word “laptop” (notebook)?

The term "laptop" was first used by the company Tandy Corporation (brand owner RadioShack) for the model TRS-80 Model 100 (1983). It was a laptop the size of a notepad (notebook), hence the name. Before this, such devices were called “portable computers” (portable computers).

💰 How much did the first laptop cost in the USSR?

In the Soviet Union, the first portable computers appeared in the late 1980s. For example, Electronics MS 1504 (1989) - analogue Osborne 1 - cost about 15,000 rubles (with an average salary of 200 rubles). For comparison, a Zhiguli car cost 7,000–9,000 rubles. Laptops were only available to businesses or scientists.

🔋 Which laptop was the first to fly into space?

GRiD Compass 1101 (1982) became the first laptop to be used in space. NASA purchased several copies for the program Space Shuttle. He worked on board the shuttle Discovery in 1985. Later, in the 1990s, astronauts switched to IBM ThinkPad, which were used on the ISS until the 2010s.

📱 Why have modern laptops become so thin?

Main reasons:

1. 🔋 Go to lithium polymer batteries (thinner and lighter than lithium-ion).
2. 🖥️ Replacing hard drives (HDD) on solid state drives (SSD).
3. 🔌 Refusal of optical drives (DVD-ROM) and ports (VGA, Ethernet).
4. ⚡Usage low voltage processors (For example, Intel Core M, Apple M1/M2).

💡 Which laptops are considered the rarest and most expensive among collectors?

Top 5 rare laptops:

1. GRiD Compass 1101 (1982) - $5,000–$15,000 (used by NASA).
2. Apple Macintosh Portable (1989) - $2000–$8000 (first portable Mac).
3. Osborne 1 (1981) - $1000–$3000 (the first mass-produced “laptop”).
4. Toshiba T1100 (1985) - $800–$2000 (first laptop from Toshiba).
5. Sony VAIO C1 (2000) – $1500–$4000 (first with OLED-screen).

Prices depend on the condition, configuration and history of the device (for example, if the laptop belonged to a famous scientist or astronaut).