LAPTOP COMPUTER -THE CHRONOLOGICAL INVENTION

Laptop Computer have become a part of our life. People use them for everything as birthday gift or finishing complicated tasks. Laptop becomes more popular now. But, how many of us know the history of laptop computers. Some of you perhaps want to know the history of laptop computers until it comes as we look at it today.
The first notebook 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). It was used by NASA on the space shuttle program in the early 1980’s. This was hardly like the laptop computers found today, but it was a start.
Adam Osborne, an ex-book publisher founded Osborne Computer and produced the Osborne 1 in 1981, a portable computer that weighed 24 pounds and cost $1795. The Osborne 1 came with a five-inch screen, modem port, two 5 1/4 floppy drives, a large collection of bundled software programs, and a battery pack. The short-lived computer company was never successful.
The next laptop computer generation 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.
Radio Shack released the TRS-80 Model 100 (also in 1983) and the TRS – 80 Model 200 in 1986. This later model was more compact, had a larger display and better battery power, and included built-in software. I remember using the TRS-80 (Trash 80) for creating simple documents and thinking this was pretty high tech at that time. It was certainly more fun than using a typewriter.
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.
In September 1989, Apple Computer released the first Macintosh Portable that later evolved into the PowerBooks. (Second photo)
In 1989, Zenith Data Systems released the Zenith MinisPort, a 6-pound laptop computer (more Zenith laptops).
In October 1989, Compaq Computer released its first notebook PC, the Compaq LTE.
In March 1991, Microsoft released the Microsoft BallPoint Mouse that used both mouse and trackball technology in a pointing device designed for laptop computers.
In October 1991, Apple Computers released the Macintosh PowerBook 100, 140, and 170 – all notebook style laptops. A year later, October 1992, IBM released its ThinkPad 700 laptop computer. And then, in 1992, Intel and Microsoft release APM or the Advanced Power Management specification for laptop computers. The year of 1993, the first PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants are released. PDAs are pen-based hand-held computers.
The 1990s saw the release of faster, sleeker machines with more storage, more ports and connectors, improved displays, and a concentration on keeping the weight down. The Apple Macintosh PowerBook line and the IBM ThinkPads became major contenders of the times.
Companies now create new laptops with faster processors and more features packed in smaller packages and they are very different from the original portable computing solutions.