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The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable microcomputer, released on April 3, 1981 by Osborne Computer Corporation. It weighed 10.7 kg (23.5 lb), cost $1,795 USD, and ran the CP/M 2.2 operating system. Powered directly from a mains socket as it had no on-board battery, though it was still classed as a portable device as it could be packed away and transported by hand to another location. The computer shipped with a large bundle of software that was almost equivalent in value to the machine itself, a practice adopted by other CP/M computer vendors. Competitors such as the Kaypro II that used double sided drives and larger 9" screens that could hold a full 80x25 display quickly appeared. ==History== The Osborne 1 was developed by Adam Osborne and designed by Lee Felsenstein. It was first announced in early 1981. Osborne, an author of computer books, decided he wanted to break the price of computers. The Osborne's design was based largely on the Xerox NoteTaker, a prototype developed at Xerox PARC in 1976 by Alan Kay.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.computerhistory.org/VirtualVisibleStorage/artifact_main.php?tax_id=04.02.01.00#5 )〕 The computer was designed to be portable, with a rugged ABS plastic case that closed up and a handle.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Osborne 1 )〕 The Osborne 1 was about the size and weight of a sewing machine and was advertised as the only computer that would fit underneath an airline seat. It is now classified as a "luggable" computer when compared to later laptop designs such as the Epson HX-20. Despite its unattractive design and heavy weight—the Osborne 1 reportedly resembled "a cross between a World War II field radio and a shrunken instrument panel of a DC-3", and Felstenstein confessed that carrying two units four blocks to a trade show "nearly pulled my arms out of their sockets"—the computer amazed observers. ''BYTE'' wrote, "(1) it will cost $1795, and (2) it's portable!" ($1795 is the equivalent of $ today.) The bundled word processing, spreadsheet, and other software alone was worth $1,500; as ''InfoWorld'' stated in an April 1981 front-page article on the new computer after listing the included software, "In case you think the price printed above was a mistake, we'll repeat it: $1795." Osborne claimed that the new computer had a "significant price/performance advantage" but emphasized the price, stating that its performance was "merely adequate": "It is not the fastest microcomputer, it doesn't have huge amounts of disk storage space, and it is not especially expandable." Beyond the price, advertisements emphasized the computer's portability and bundled software. In the first eight months after April 1981, when the Osborne 1 was announced, the company sold 11,000 units. Sales at their peak reached 10,000 units per month.〔 Its principal deficiencies were a tiny display screen and use of single sided, single density floppy disk drives which could not contain sufficient data for practical business applications, and considerable unit weight. Adam Osborne had made the decision to use single-sided drives because he was concerned that double-sided units could not tolerate rough handling. A single density disk controller was used to keep costs down. As a result, the Osborne's floppy disks held a mere 90k. In September 1981, Osborne Computer Company had its first US$1 million sales month. Sales of the Osborne 1 were hurt by the company's premature announcement of superior successor machines such as the Osborne Executive, a phenomenon later called the Osborne effect. From 1982 to 1985 the company published ''The Portable Companion'', a magazine for Osborne users.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Portable Companion )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Osborne 1」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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