A portable laptop computer can be taken anywhere and utilised whenever needed.
In contrast to traditional desktop computers, laptops have a flat screen that can be folded over the keyboard when not in use. This screen can be either a plasma panel or an LCD display.
They are built from parts specifically selected for their portability, compactness, and efficiency. Because of these factors, portable computers are typically more expensive than desktop computers.
In September of 1975, IBM introduced the world to the world’s first portable computer, the 5100. Compared to previous computers, its 55-pound weight made it extremely portable. It wasn’t a laptop in the modern sense, but it paved the path for what we now think of as laptops.
The Osborne I, created by Adam Osborne in April 1981, is widely considered to be the first true laptop computer. The device weighed 2412 pounds and had a 5-inch screen.
The Epson HX-20, introduced in July 1982, was the first “laptop-sized notebook computer.” It weighed as much as an A4 notebook (1.6 kg), featured a four-line liquid crystal display (LCD), and could print out receipts. According to the patent, it is a hybrid “laptop” and “notebook” computer.
In April 1982, the GRiD Systems Corporation debuted the GriD Compass, the first computer to employ the “clamshell” architecture featured in virtually all subsequent laptop designs. It was only about a sixth as heavy as comparable computers of the time, but it had to be plugged into the wall to operate. Despite this, in the 1980s, laptops were widely adopted by the United States military and NASA (the latter utilised one in its Space Shuttle programme).
The same year, Bill Gates and Kazuhiko Nishi, two Microsoft programmers, collaborated on a portable computer. Radio Shack saw the prototype, and they said they’d start producing them. It first appeared in 1983 as the TRS-80 Model 100, sporting an eight-line liquid crystal display.
The TRS Model 200, an updated model debuted in 1986, featured a bigger, foldable LCD screen and otherwise looked very similar to modern laptops.In 1986, IBM introduced the world to the PC Convertible, the world’s first laptop. It was the first laptop to weigh less than 15 pounds, coming in at a mere 12 pounds.
The Vectra Portable CS laptop computer was introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 1987. One of the first laptops to support 1.44 MB floppy diskettes, its 3 12″ floppy disc drive was ahead of its time.
In 1988, Compaq released the Compaq SLT/286, their first laptop computer. First laptop with VGA graphics and a built-in hard drive, it ran on a battery.
In September 1989, Apple introduced the world to the Macintosh Portable, the first laptop computer. It was not a successful laptop because of its high price tag of $6500 upon debut.
NEC introduced the NEC UltraLite, the first notebook-style laptop, in 1989. It weighed in at less than 5 pounds.
After the Macintosh Portable was a commercial failure, Apple rethought the laptop and introduced the PowerBook in October 1991.
In 2002, Toshiba introduced the Toshiba Portege 2000, which, at three-quarters of an inch at its thickest point, was the world’s thinnest laptop at the time. The 1.8-inch hard drive inside was also a first for laptops.
Around 1997, CD-ROM drives were standard in most full-size laptops; they were soon followed by CD-R, DVD, and Blu-ray drives that also allowed for writing. While external optical discs are still widely accessible in 2021, the trend away from internal drives began around 2011.
There is still debate over the precise origins of the phrases “laptop” and “notebook,” despite their common usage. The term “laptop,” referring to a portable computer small enough to fit on a person’s lap, appears to have been invented in the early 1980s as a way to differentiate between earlier, heavier portable computers (informally dubbed “luggables”) and the newer, more lightweight models. The name “notebook” seems to have gained popularity once manufacturers began making even more compact devices, which were both lighter and smaller than their predecessors and which included a display about the size of an A4 sheet of paper.