Osborne 1

The idea of portable computers is so commonplace now that we don't even call them portables. Terms like laptop and notebook convey the current state of the art: full-featured computers that you can easily tuck under your arm or into a knapsack. But in 1981 the first truly portable computer, the Osborne 1, weighed in at a bulky 24 pounds. The box included a 5-inch monochrome monitor, a full-size keyboard, and two floppy disk drives. The first generation of computer road warriors cut their teeth (and built up their biceps) carrying the popular but awkward Osborne, but as personal computers began getting smaller and sleeker, the suitcase-sized (and -shaped) Osborne 1 began looking like an unfortunate throwback.