{"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":"2026-03-03T11:40:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:40:53","slug":"vin18","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/","title":{"rendered":"Osborne 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Osborne 1<\/h2>\n<p>[Vin18]<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-21940\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1-160x160.png\" alt=\"First Ever icon\" width=\"88\" height=\"88\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1-160x160.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1-240x240.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1-360x360.png 360w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/first-place-400x400-1.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 88px) 100vw, 88px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\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<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<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<p><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-23148\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Osborne 1\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260109_161244739-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Osborne Computer Corporation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Luggable (portable) computer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: April 1981<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $1,795 (CAD ~$7,000 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.57 (570 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Technical Specifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Zilog Z80 @ 4 MHz<\/li>\n<li><strong>RAM<\/strong>: 64 KB<\/li>\n<li><strong>ROM<\/strong>: 4 KB<\/li>\n<li><strong>Display<\/strong>: 5-inch monochrome CRT, 52 x 24 characters<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Dual 5.25-inch single-sided, single-density floppy drives (about 91 KB per disk)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ports<\/strong>: Parallel (IEEE-488), serial (RS-232C\/modem)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keyboard<\/strong>: Detachable, full-sized with numeric keypad<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight<\/strong>: 24.5 lb (11.1 kg)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Power<\/strong>: AC only (no built-in battery; aftermarket battery pack available)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"slideme\"><dl class=\"slideme__list\"><dt class=\"slideme__term\"><a href=\"#slideme-operating-system-programming-languages\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"slideme-operating-system-programming-languages\" class=\"slideme__heading slideme__trigger\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages <\/a><\/dt><dd class=\"slideme__description\" id=\"slideme-operating-system-programming-languages\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><p><\/p>\n<ul class=\"marker:text-textOff list-disc\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"my-0\"><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: CP\/M 2.2<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"my-0\"><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>: \u00a0MBASIC and CBASIC (bundled), and could run other CP\/M-compatible languages such as FORTRAN, Pascal, and dBase II<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p><\/dd><dl><\/div>\n<div class=\"slideme\"><dl class=\"slideme__list\"><dt class=\"slideme__term\"><a href=\"#slideme-notables\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"slideme-notables\" class=\"slideme__heading slideme__trigger\">Notables<\/a><\/dt><dd class=\"slideme__description\" id=\"slideme-notables\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><p><\/p>\n<ul>\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<li>Its bundled software package was nearly equal in value to the hardware, a pioneering marketing move.<\/li>\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<li>The tiny 5-inch screen was often criticized, but the unit\u2019s portability and value offset this drawback for many users.<\/li>\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<li>Nicknamed a \u201cluggable\u201d due to its suitcase-like form factor and weight.<\/li>\n<li>It was designed to fit under an airplane seat, emphasizing its portability for business travelers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p><\/dd><dl><\/div>\n<div class=\"slideme\"><dl class=\"slideme__list\"><dt class=\"slideme__term\"><a href=\"#slideme-donated-by\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"slideme-donated-by\" class=\"slideme__heading slideme__trigger\">Donated By<\/a><\/dt><dd class=\"slideme__description\" id=\"slideme-donated-by\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><p><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Arlen Michaels and Andrew Miles<\/p>\n<p><\/p><\/dd><dl><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\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":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Osborne 1 - School of Computer Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Osborne 1 The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true \u201cluggable\u201d thanks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/\",\"name\":\"Osborne 1 - School of Computer Science\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-07T20:57:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-03T16:40:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"Osborne 1 The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true \u201cluggable\u201d thanks\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Vintage Computing\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Vintage Computing Collection\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Osborne 1\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/\",\"name\":\"School of Computer Science\",\"description\":\"Carleton University\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Osborne 1 - School of Computer Science","description":"Osborne 1 The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true \u201cluggable\u201d thanks","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/","url":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/","name":"Osborne 1 - School of Computer Science","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-11-07T20:57:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-03T16:40:53+00:00","description":"Osborne 1 The Osborne 1, introduced in April 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer, often called the first true \u201cluggable\u201d thanks","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin18\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Vintage Computing","item":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Vintage Computing Collection","item":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Osborne 1"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/","name":"School of Computer Science","description":"Carleton University","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"acf":{"banner_image_type":"none","banner_button":"no"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19940"}],"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\/7"}],"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":23745,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19940\/revisions\/23745"}],"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"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}