{"id":19940,"date":"2024-11-07T15:57:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T20:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=19940"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:40:23","slug":"vin18","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/","title":{"rendered":"Osborne 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Osborne 1\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"osborne-1\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Osborne 1<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>[Vin18]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"160\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1-160x160.png\" alt=\"First Ever icon\" class=\"wp-image-21940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1-160x160.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1-240x240.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1-360x360.png 360w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/first-place-400x400-1.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true \u201cluggable\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Osborne 1\" class=\"wp-image-23148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/PXL_20260109_161244739-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Osborne Computer Corporation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Luggable (portable) computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: April 1981<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $1,795 (CAD ~$7,000 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.57 (570 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"technical-specifications\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Technical Specifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Zilog Z80 @ 4 MHz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>RAM<\/strong>: 64 KB<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ROM<\/strong>: 4 KB<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Display<\/strong>: 5-inch monochrome CRT, 52 x 24 characters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Dual 5.25-inch single-sided, single-density floppy drives (about 91 KB per disk)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ports<\/strong>: Parallel (IEEE-488), serial (RS-232C\/modem)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Keyboard<\/strong>: Detachable, full-sized with numeric keypad<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weight<\/strong>: 24.5 lb (11.1 kg)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Power<\/strong>: AC only (no built-in battery; aftermarket battery pack available)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n    \n    <dl class=\"cu-description cu-component-updated\">\n        \n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-operating-system-programming-languages\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Operating System &amp; Programming Languages \n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-operating-system-programming-languages\">\n            \n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list marker:text-textOff list-disc\">\n<li><br><p class=\"my-0\"><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: CP\/M 2.2<\/p><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><br><p class=\"my-0\"><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>: &nbsp;MBASIC and CBASIC (bundled), and could run other CP\/M-compatible languages such as FORTRAN, Pascal, and dBase II<\/p><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-notables\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Notables\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-notables\">\n            \n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Osborne 1 was the first portable computer to achieve widespread use and is credited with starting the portable\/luggable computer market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its bundled software package was nearly equal in value to the hardware, a pioneering marketing move.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The tiny 5-inch screen was often criticized, but the unit\u2019s portability and value offset this drawback for many users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Osborne 1\u2019s 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 \u201cOsborne Effect\u201d in business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nicknamed a \u201cluggable\u201d due to its suitcase-like form factor and weight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was designed to fit under an airplane seat, emphasizing its portability for business travelers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-donated-by\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Donated By\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-donated-by\">\n            \n\n<p>Dr. Arlen Michaels and Andrew Miles<\/p>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <\/dl>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Osborne 1 [Vin18] The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true \u201cluggable\u201d 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[90,123],"class_list":["post-19940","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-vintage-computing","cu_page_type-vintage-inventory"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19940"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25108,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19940\/revisions\/25108"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=19940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}