when was the laptop first invented

It’s hard to imagine a world without laptops, isn’t it? We carry them to coffee shops, use them for work on the go, and rely on them for entertainment. But these sleek, portable machines have a history that stretches back further than you might think. The journey to the modern laptop wasn’t a single event, but a series of innovations, with several key contenders for the title of “first.”

The Early Vision of a Portable Computer

Long before the clamsshell design we know today, engineers were dreaming of portable computing. One of the earliest concepts was the IBM 5100 in 1975. It was technically portable, but at 55 pounds, it was more of a “luggable” than a laptop. The real breakthrough in design came a few years later.

A Contender for the First True Laptop

Many historians point to the Osborne 1 as a major milestone. Released in 1981 by Adam Osborne, it is often called the first commercially successful portable computer. It featured a tiny 5-inch screen, weighed a hefty 24.5 pounds, and had a handle for carrying. While it sold well, its “portability” was still quite relative by today’s standards.

The Birth of the Clamshell Design

The device that truly set the standard for all future laptops was the Grid Compass 1101. Designed in 1979 by Bill Moggridge, it wasn’t sold to the public until 1982. This was the pioneer of the familiar clamshell design with a folding screen. It was incredibly advanced for its time, using a bright electroluminescent display, but its high price tag meant it was primarily used by the U.S. government and NASA.

What Makes a Laptop a Laptop?

So, who wins the title? It depends on your definition. The Osborne 1 was the first commercially viable portable. The Grid Compass established the physical form we recognize. Other notable machines, like the Gavilan SC in 1983, even popularized the term “laptop.” The evolution was a collaborative effort, with each invention building upon the last to create the lightweight, powerful machines we use now.

From hefty luggables to the sleek devices of today, the laptop’s invention was a story of gradual refinement. It reminds us that even the most common technologies have a rich and fascinating history of innovation behind them.