Who was the inventor of the first commercially available portable computer?

Adam Osborne, who lived from March 6, 1939 until March 18, 2003, is known as the creator of the first commercially available portable computer. He was also a Thailand born British American author, book publisher, and software publisher.

In April 1981, he provided the public with the first commercially available portable computer, the Osborne 1. It weighed 24.5 pounds, cost U.S. $1795.00, and ran the CP/M 2.2 operating system. It was designed to fit under an airline seat.

At the time, Osborne was considered one of the first personal computing pioneers to understand fully that there was a wide market of computer buyers. His company advertisements compared Adam Osborne's influence on the personal computer market to Henry Ford's influence on transportation. At its peak, his company was selling over 10,000 computers a month.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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11 Comments

Nicholas Miernicki

When I read the question, I had no clue. When I looked at the choices, the name Osborne kindled an old and indistinct memory. His was the only name that did that, so he was my choice.

Kath Thomson

Never heard of any of the four names nor of the first PC which I thought was IBM

JRW

At first I thought 'what?' then recalled that there had been an Osborne 1. No other names rang a bell.

Howard Groopman

My first computer was a Franklin Ace (Apple IIe clone) that I bought in 1983 for $1225. I still keep it as a souvenir.

earlepg

Nicholas Miernicki, As soon as I saw his name, I knew that Osborne was the the one. Ten years before 1981, I had taken a few computer classes during my quest for the MBA in anticipation of its eventual arrival. Naturally, I didn't foretell the power of the Samsung that I'm now using. I was happy with a personal computer finally arriving. Of course, since I got married and started my career during those earlier years, and we had our kid after moving ten years after that, I couldn't afford that expense. But that announcement indicated that affordable personal computers were on the way. With encouragement rather than interference from the government, I'm hoping for similar progression with the now infant AI, although that can easily be accompanied by considerable risk and potential pitfalls and could become anathema to todays ordinary folks. I was looking forward to the development of computers, both mainframe and personal. With the development of Artificial Intelligence, I see much hope combined with the possibility of considerable fear and trepidation. Where did this soapbox come from?