The World's First Laptop Weighed 24 Pounds and Had a 5 Inch Screen

janusz · 6 Jan 2026, 12:27 AM

The date was April 1981

Quote:

This was the Osborne 1, billed proudly by creator Adam Osborne, as the world?s first portable computer. Granted, it was portable in the sense that it was the size of a small suitcase and the weight of a fully grown border collie. Also, the 24 1/2-pound (11 kilogram) box had no battery, which required a wall socket at every stop, but it still allowed reporters to submit their stories from their hotel room.

Flip open the front panel ? actually, the detachable keyboard ? and inside was the five-inch monochrome cathode-ray tube flanked by two 5 1/4-inch floppy drives. The keyboard snapped into place with the lid, so when closed, everything was self-contained.

The screen could display 52 characters per line by 24 lines of text. It was cramped, but you could connect an external monitor for a standard 80-column view. The floppies, single-sided and single-density, stored 90 KB each

The price was $1795 (in 1981 dollars...)

The full article (zmescience.com)

Bamb0 · 6 Jan 2026, 12:51 AM

Thank you for that!!

n5bb · 11 Jan 2026, 02:06 PM

I owned (and repaired and sold) the Zenith Z-138 PC in around 1986-1987. It had a 7 inch amber CRT and weighed about 24 pounds and was AC powered. I would take it to club meetings and take notes for the minutes. I believe I installed a small hard drive in that PC, but it?s been nearly 40 years since I used it so my memory of it is a bit fuzzy. I might still have it; I should look for it and if I find it I will see if it still boots up.

See: Zenith Z-138

Bill

Daria · 24 Jan 2026, 04:04 AM

You should totally check it out, Bill - if it works, you would be surprised how valuable it is on EBay ! !

**ReuvenNY** · 25 Jan 2026, 01:40 PM

My first laptop was Kaypro II which I purchase in 1982. I has 9 inch monochrome screen and bundled software - Perfect Writer, Perfect Calc and others.

janusz · 26 Jan 2026, 05:09 PM

More about Kaypro II

**ReuvenNY** · 26 Jan 2026, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janusz

More about Kaypro II

Brings memories... I paid $1795

SideshowBob · 27 Jan 2026, 02:10 AM

Quote:

but it still allowed reporters to submit their stories from their hotel room

Submitting stories over a phone line wasn't exactly new.

mister · 31 Jan 2026, 03:18 PM

https://www.computerhistory.org/coll...onal-computers
My first was from Radio Shack

25 Jan 2026, 01:40 PM	#5
ReuvenNY Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: New York Posts: 4,278	My first laptop was Kaypro II which I purchase in 1982. I has 9 inch monochrome screen and bundled software - Perfect Writer, Perfect Calc and others. Last edited by ReuvenNY : 1 Feb 2026 at 03:45 AM.

6 Jan 2026, 12:51 AM	#2
Bamb0 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,370	Thank you for that!!

11 Jan 2026, 02:06 PM	#3
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 9,131	I owned (and repaired and sold) the Zenith Z-138 PC in around 1986-1987. It had a 7 inch amber CRT and weighed about 24 pounds and was AC powered. I would take it to club meetings and take notes for the minutes. I believe I installed a small hard drive in that PC, but it?s been nearly 40 years since I used it so my memory of it is a bit fuzzy. I might still have it; I should look for it and if I find it I will see if it still boots up. See: Zenith Z-138 Bill

24 Jan 2026, 04:04 AM	#4
Daria Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2026 Location: Leonardo, New Jersey Posts: 0	You should totally check it out, Bill - if it works, you would be surprised how valuable it is on EBay ! !

26 Jan 2026, 05:09 PM	#6
janusz Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: EU Posts: 5,016	More about Kaypro II

31 Jan 2026, 03:18 PM	#9
mister Essential Contributor Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 434	https://www.computerhistory.org/coll...onal-computers My first was from Radio Shack