Osborne 1
Osborne 1
[Vin18]
The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true “luggable” thanks to its 11 kg (25 lbs) suitcase-style design. Built for business users on the move, it packed a 5-inch monochrome CRT display, dual 5.25-inch floppy drives, and a detachable full-sized keyboard that latched onto the case to form a compact, transportable unit.
What truly set the Osborne 1 apart was its bundled software package, valued at nearly the cost of the machine itself, which helped establish the now-common industry practice of shipping valuable productivity software with hardware. Running CP/M 2.2 on a Zilog Z80A processor with 64 KB of RAM, it delivered serious business capability in a form that could fit under an airplane seat.
The Osborne claim to fame was making computing genuinely portable for professionals while setting a new price/performance benchmark. During its production run from 1981 to 1983, it sold over 125,000 units, at one point reaching 10,000 units per month, remarkable numbers for an early-1980s microcomputer.
- Manufacturer: Osborne Computer Corporation
- Type: Luggable (portable) computer
- Release Date: April 1981
- Cost at release: USD $1,795 (CAD ~$7,000 adjusted for inflation)
- MIPS: 0.57 (570 KIPS)
Technical Specifications
- CPU: Zilog Z80 @ 4 MHz
- RAM: 64 KB
- ROM: 4 KB
- Display: 5-inch monochrome CRT, 52 x 24 characters
- Storage: Dual 5.25-inch single-sided, single-density floppy drives (about 91 KB per disk)
- Ports: Parallel (IEEE-488), serial (RS-232C/modem)
- Keyboard: Detachable, full-sized with numeric keypad
- Weight: 24.5 lb (11.1 kg)
- Power: AC only (no built-in battery; aftermarket battery pack available)
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Operating System: CP/M 2.2
Supported Languages: MBASIC and CBASIC (bundled), and could run other CP/M-compatible languages such as FORTRAN, Pascal, and dBase II
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- The Osborne 1 was the first portable computer to achieve widespread use and is credited with starting the portable/luggable computer market.
- Its bundled software package was nearly equal in value to the hardware, a pioneering marketing move.
- WordStar was bundled with the Osborne 1 at launch and was widely used for text editing, document creation, and word processing tasks on this system.
- The tiny 5-inch screen was often criticized, but the unit’s portability and value offset this drawback for many users.
- The Osborne 1’s premature announcement of a successor (the Osborne Executive) while the Osborne 1 was still selling led to a sharp drop in sales-a phenomenon now known as the “Osborne Effect” in business.
- Nicknamed a “luggable” due to its suitcase-like form factor and weight.
- It was designed to fit under an airplane seat, emphasizing its portability for business travelers.
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Dr. Arlen Michaels and Andrew Miles