Laptop computer history is a rich and intriguing subject. While not every technological advance made it to today’s laptops, the history of laptop computers is full of great ideas and discarded efforts that created the machines we know and love.

The Laptop Computer History Timeline

1981: Osborn 1 system created. The Osborn 1 wasn’t tiny; it was similar in size to a sewing machine and required a power outlet to run. Early business adapters were intrigued, but ultimately it failed due to unwieldy size and an inability to run on battery power.

1982: GRID Compass debuted. The first real laptop, the GRID Compass was truly portable, with the folding design we know today and the ability to operate on battery alone. The GRID Compass was expensive and incompatible with IBM, so it was therefore used almost solely by NASA. Nevertheless, it was pivotal in the history of the laptop computer.

1983: Compaq Portable and Epson HX-20 introduced. The Compaq Portable was the first laptop compatible with the IBM operating system and MS-DOS, making it easy to switch data back and forth between laptops and desktop computers. However, the Epson HX-20 had an edge in that it operated on rechargeable batteries, whereas the Compaq Portable required a power outlet. These were the first commercially successful laptops.

1983: Kyocera Kyotronic 85 released. One of the most wildly popular early laptops, the Kyocera Kyotronic 85 was small and inexpensive, running on AA batteries and measuring about the size of a paper notebook. With some of the first commercial Microsoft programs and an internal modem, the Kyotronic set the tone for laptops to come, although it lacked the traditional laptop clamshell case.

1986: IBM launches its first laptop. IBM was the standard for desktop computers, so laptops had to be IBM compatible to be viable in the marketplace. IBM launched the IBM PC Convertible in 1986 to moderate success.

1987: Toshiba laptop introduced. Like the IBM portable, the Toshiba T1000 and T1200 included IBM compatibility and MS-DOS. These laptops were lightweight and small, but still not commercially successful.

1987: Zenith Data Systems won an important US Air Force contract. ZDS won a bid to produce 200,000 laptops for the US Air Force in 1987. This was a noteworthy development because ZDS partnered with Japanese manufacturers to produce hardware and reduce costs.

1988: Compaq SLT/286 introduced VGA graphics. Compaq was the first laptop manufacturer to produce a machine that could display VGA graphics. It was lightweight and battery-powered with an internal hard drive.

1989: Macintosh Portable was the first Apple laptop. The first Apple laptops were large and bulky and not particularly successful, but marked Apple’s foray into the laptop market.

1991: Apple PowerBook brought Apple into the laptop age. Unlike the Macintosh Portable, the PowerBook was truly portable. The PowerBook also included a palm rest and a pointing device, which became the standard for future laptop designs.

1995: Microsoft released Windows 95. Because of its power-management functionality, Windows 95 became the default operating system for non-Apple laptops. The release of Windows 95 stabilized several features of laptop design, and brought about the creation of the style of laptops we know today.