Osborne 1 | TechMuseum
Year of manufacture: 1981-1983
Technical Specifications:
- Processor: Zilog Z80A, 4MHz
- RAM: 64 KB
- FDD: Two disk 5.25″
- HDD: –
- Audio: Beeper
- Connectors/Ports: Modem, serial, video, parallel
- Case: Portable type
- Monitor: Monochrome
- OS: CP/M
The Osborne 1 features a Zilog Z80 processor at 4 MHz and memory of 64kB. Equipped with two floppy disks of 5.25” it ran with the operating system of the CP/M version.
Osborne Computer Corporation, a startup from Silicon Valley, met grand success in record time. The company pioneered in the portable computer division releasing the world’s first mass produced computer series, Osborne.
Major selling points were the size of them, fitting an airplane seat, and the durability, capable of surviving unintentional falls and hardships. Unlike other startups, Osborne immediately after the founding released the first product, Osborne 1. In just one year’s time, the company grew from 2 employees, the founders, to 3000! Sales went dazzlingly well, but soon struggled with the strong competitions. Eventually, the company went bankrupt due to insider trading and masking of the true financial situation.
That was just a snapshot on the presentation of the techmuseum series. Indulge more into the history. Continue reading more about the present model, the Osborne 1 here. Alternatively, find more exciting stories like this one here.
Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
