On this day April 3 1981 the Osborne 1 was unveiled in San Francisco becoming the first commercially successful portable computer. Priced at 1,795 dollars the Osborne 1 came with a five inch screen a full sized keyboard and dual floppy disk drives all built into a compact briefcase sized case.
Created by Adam Osborne the computer was aimed at business professionals who needed computing power on the go. It came bundled with software including WordStar and SuperCalc which made it a great value at the time. Even though it weighed over 20 pounds and required a power outlet the Osborne 1 paved the way for future portable computers and became a symbol of the early 80s tech boom.
80s insight: The Osborne 1 was so popular that its early success led to a rapid sales boom followed by the infamous Osborne effect when the company announced a new model too early and killed sales of the original.