A little geek history

The idea for a laptop was first developed in the late '60s, Alan Kay of Xerox then wrote about coming up with a 'personal, portable information manipulator' in a 1972 paper, calling it the 'Dynabook'.

Alan is credited for conceiving the idea of a portable computer in 1968, when computers still weighed over 100 pounds and ate punch cards.

His concept was a very thin, highly dynamic device that weighed no more than 2 pounds, which would be an ideal tool for children to learn programming and science. Alan’s Dynabook was never made, but characteristics of his concept can be seen in the mobile computers we have today.

Steve Jobs (mr apple) took a tour of Xerox PARC in 1979, and some say that his visit is still unfolding with the release of the iPad, which resembles Alan Kay’s description of the Dynabook.

Steve Jobs this month personally mailed an iPad to Alan, who praised Apple’s tablet as “fantastically good” for drawing, painting and typing.

The first commercially available portable computer was the IBM 5100. The first flip laptop appeared in 1982 and was the GRiD Compass 1100, which was used by NASA scientists and cost $8,150.




IBM 5100



GRiD Compass 1100

Thank you Mr Alan Kay