Osborne 1 portable computer manufactured by Osborne Computer Corporation and released on April 3, 1981. Housed in its rugged ‘sewing machine’ plastic case, 20˝ x 9˝ x 14˝, the robust 23-pound computer comprises a small 5-inch monochrome monitor (capable of displaying 52 characters by 24 lines) flanked on either side by two floppy disk drives. The unit’s CPU is a Zilog Z80 that runs at 4 MHz, with 64 kilobytes of main memory. Once unlatched, the bottom cover reveals the computer’s keyboard, which bears four affixed printed and handwritten cue and instruction sheets. The back of the unit features the carrying handle, a fixed power cord, and the Osborne parts label, which lists the serial number as “A 14878.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered scuffs and marks to the case; the unit turns on but is untested for functionality.
Accompanied by several master and program floppy disks, as well as various manuals and publications, such as the Osborne 1 User’s Reference Guide, a Comm-Pac User’s Manual, a Double Density User’s Manual, a dBase II binder, Spellguard User Manual, an Osgraph packet for ‘Plotting and Graphing Software for the Osborne 1 and Osborne Executive,’ and additional printed packets related to Osborne 1 programs.
In 1981, Adam Osborne produced what is generally considered to be the first truly portable computer. Although, technically, a few other ‘portable’ machines came before it, the Osborne was the first portable CP/M system, and the first ‘affordable’ portable computer. It was therefore the first portable computer to achieve widespread use. The Osborne 1 managed at its peak to sell 10,000 units per month and by the fall of 1981, the company had reached its first month of a million dollars in sales.
