Laptops
1983 When was the first time a well-known word or phrase was used in print? FirstMention.com explores the history and origins of famous people and places, and of popular phrases, companies, brand names, products and ideas, along with familiar words and sayings. The lap was invented as soon as human beings figured out how to sit down, but what about the laptop? When did laptop computers first arrive on the scene? I'm not talking about the lovable, luggable Kaypro's, but the actual term itself. True to our FirstMention mission, we're looking for the history and origins of the word laptop. When were laptops invented, or at least, the word laptop used as a description of portable computers. The earliest FirstMention we came up with dates back to September 10, 1983, and this ad in the Los Angeles Times. NEC? Who woulda thunk it? And $799 is not a bad price for state of the art. Thanks, Software Spot, for putting the term laptop into the mainstream. What did the NEC PC-8201A laptop look like, you ask? Pretty cool, actually. Not yet the flip-open clamshell design that has become so familiar over the decades (has it really been decades already?). But not so very different, either, from the HP-Compaq, Dell, Toshiba, Lenovo and Apple laptops that you find at any Best Buy, or Circuit City or online these days. If you're looking for more information about buying laptops, or about their history, you an use the search box below: A few excellent links on laptops You can have a look at these excellent links that cover the invention, development and commercialization of the laptop, some sites that specialize on old desktop computers, and a few othes that compare stats and specs on current models of laptops Wikipedia entry on laptops ConsumerSearch comparision shopping for laptops PC Magazine Laptop and Notebook Buying Guide Old Computers--a site for reminiscing Know of an earlier FirstMention? Drop us a line at david@firstmention.com New from FirstMention. Search old newspaper archives for free...History at your fingertips. When was the first time a well-known word or phrase was used in print? FirstMention.com explores the history and origins of famous people and places, and of popular phrases, companies, brand names, products and ideas, along with familiar words and sayings. |