THE 1000 COLLECTION
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Computer1981

Osborne 1

Osborne 1
Model illustration · Image: Marcin Wichary · CC BY 2.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · Saved as WebP and resized where necessary

Summary

The Osborne 1 is regarded as the first commercially successful portable computer. Adam Osborne founded the Osborne Computer Corporation for the project, and Lee Felsenstein designed the machine, released in April 1981. Its carrying case contains a 4 MHz Z80, 64 KB RAM, two 5.25-inch floppy drives and a tiny 5-inch screen displaying 52 × 24 characters. It runs CP/M 2.2. The computer weighs around 11 kilograms and requires mains power; it has no battery.

The key attraction was the price: US$1,795 included software worth over $1,500, including WordStar, SuperCalc and BASIC. Osborne sold around 11,000 machines in the first eight months, reaching roughly 10,000 per month at its peak. The company then announced the improved Osborne Executive too early. Customers waited, and sales collapsed—a phenomenon since called the Osborne effect. Competition from Kaypro, and later the IBM PC, added to the pressure.

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