Portable / laptop computer
Ordenador portátil
- Date
- 1981-1982 · confidence high
- Place
- Osborne Computer, Hayward, and GRiD Systems, Mountain View, California, United States
- Credited to
- Adam Osborne (Osborne 1); Bill Moggridge (GRiD Compass, 1982, clamshell format)
- People
- 👤 Adam Osborne1939–2003👤 Bill Moggridge1943–2012
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Transportable computer with an integrated screen, keyboard and storage; the GRiD Compass introduced the clamshell format with a flat screen. It untethered computing from the desk.
The Epson HX-20 (1981) and Alan Kay's conceptual Dynabook (1968) are also cited as precursors.
What it led to
- Workplace mobility and work from anywhere
- Demand for flat screens and batteries that drove LCD and lithium-ion development
- The laptop as the dominant computer and precursor of the tablet and smartphone