character display.
NEC PC-6001
$350 - 1981
First released in Japan, this is the American version, although it still has the colorful orange keys.
NeXT
$6,500 - 1989
The "Cube" is what Steve Jobs made after he quit Apple Computers in 1985.
It's a black metal, 12-inch cube-shaped system, with a removable cartridge which hold the operating system, the software and applications, and all of the users data.
Findex
$5,000 - 1979
This contains everything needed for a fully-functional stand-alone computer system - a full-size keyboard,
40x6 upper/lower-case orange plasma display, built-in floppy drive, and a thermal printer, making it one of the first-ever
portable computer systems available.
Intertec SuperBrain
$3,000 - 1979
This system has that classic, sweeping, futuristic look, like you might see in a science fiction movie,
and the name evokes images of technological superiority. It's not the first computer, but it is one of the best looking.
HP-9830A
$6,000 - 1973
The attractive and stylish HP-9830A is actually one of the very first desktop computer systems ever, and as a bonus, it's entirely self-contained.
Designed before the time of common computer microprocessor chips, the HP-9830A is comprised of hundreds of individual computer chips.
IBM ThinkPad
$2,400 - 1992
The ThinkPad series of notebook computers were an immediate hit, and collected more than 300 awards for quality and design.
Although bought out by Chinese company Lenovo in 2005, the ThinkPad line of notebooks remains extremely popular with over 200 different
models and over 60 million notebook computers sold over the decades.
Xerox 820
$3,000 - 1981
Everyone has heard of Xerox - they used to be a big deal.
This is their first inexpensive computer system for the office, known as the "Worm".
The "Worm" is a jab at Apple computers - the "Worm" will eat their "Apple".
Dauphin DTR-1
$2,500 - 1993
The DTR-1 (Desk Top Replacement) hand-held pen-based computer was the world's smallest 486 (CPU) computer, and one of the first palmtops to run Microsoft Windows 3.1.
It turns out that running Windows on a tiny 5-inch screen wasn't so great - Dauphin filed for bankruptcy protection in January 1995.
Morrow Pivot
$2,000 - 1984
This 10-pound portable MS-DOS system has 5-1/4 inch floppy drives - pretty big for a battery-powered portable.
It was the last computer system sold by George Morrow, who filed for bankruptcy in March 1986.
AT&T EO 440
$2,000 - 1993
When fully decked-out, the EO-440 "Personal Communicator" is the world's first phablet (phone + tablet) with wireless FAX, email, and cell phone capabilites,
allowing you to calculate your budget, then FAX it directly to the office, while you relax at the beach.
Ampro Little Board
$350 - 1984
Ampro described their "Little Board" as the world's simplest and least expensive CP/M computer.
It is a complete, miniature single-board computer (SBC) that mounts directly to a standard 5-1/4 inch floppy drive.
Compucolor 8001
$2,700 - 1976
This is often considered "the first desktop color graphic computer".
It used 8-track tapes for data storage, similar to the consumer audiophile version used to play music in the 1970's.
GRiDPad
$2,370 - 1989
Possibly the first really useful tablet computer, it was an MS-DOS box with a touchscreen and stylus for use with hand writing recognition software.
Pied Piper Communicator 1
$1,300 - 1983
At the time, the least expensive, truly portable computer with a built-in disk drive.
The single internal floppy drive stores 784K of data - an huge amount in comparison to other systems.
Spectravideo CompuMate
$100 - 1983
With Spectravideo's CompuMate BASIC keyboard enhancer, you can do more just play video games on your Atari 2600 VCS.
For less than $100, you can transform your VCS into your own personal computer.
Zenith Z-171 PC
$2,700 - 1985
Zenith was sucessful in winning a $27 million contact to supply the IRS with around 15,000 portable 1 computers.
Due to its early design, this is one of the few battery-powered computers with large 5-1/4 inch floppy drives,
Osborne Vixen
$1,300 - 1985
Osborne went bankrupt in 1983 before they could even release the Vixen.
They survived bankruptcy, and in 1985 finally introduced the Vixen (an ill-tempered or quarrelsome woman) to the public.
DEC Rainbow 100
$3,250 - 1982
In the 1980s, DEC was the second largest computer company in the United States, after IBM.
Different models of the "Rainbow" were available, but the most basic model is text only, with a monochrome display - no rainbow available.
The smallest and lightest laptop at the time has an elegant task-
The first practical pocket computer (or PDA - Personal Digital Assistant) can edit, store, and recall text entries on it's 16-