Follow the shift from early home computers and business systems to the first widely recognized portable computers, with a particular interest in the machines that made portability possible.
Portable and transportable computer designs emerged before the modern laptop. The Osborne 1, introduced in 1981, is one of the early examples of a computer designed to be carried and used away from a fixed desk.
This section follows personal-computing milestones from 1977 through 1981, while keeping an eye on the design changes that led toward portable and rugged systems.
It provides historical context rather than a complete rugged-computer catalog. The gallery shows examples of later rugged portable computers, servers, and displays.