Desktop computers ruled the scene in the early days of computing. They were large, boxy, and often noisy. Even today, they’re often considered the centrepieces of offices and homes. As time progressed, the idea of portability came into the minds of tech giants. They thought of creating a desktop that would be portable and light at the same time. Thus began the journey of laptops.
The Osborne 1, released in 1981, is often considered to be the prototype of a portable computer. It carried the power of a desktop, with built-in storage and a screen and a keyboard, which became the blueprint for laptops. In 1983, the Epson HX-20 came to the market and is often hailed as the first ‘notebook’ computer. It was lighter than the Osborne 1, had a battery instead of using a power outlet, and came with all the bells and whistles of that era. This was the truest prototype of what would become laptops, thanks to shrinking desktop features into a portable format.
As time progressed, minds and researchers started thinking about making the laptops even more portable. Devices such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro or Apple’s iPad Pro introduced touch screens on their tablets and could be used as full laptops just by attaching a keyboard.
Mini laptops are now a trend as they are super light and efficient when it comes to the portability factor. The GPD Pocket or the One Mix Yoga are scaled to a size that can easily fit in the palm or in a bag. But now, there are Ultrabooks which are feather-light and come in slim designs without losing any performance.
Even to this day, there are new perspectives coming from various companies that are looking forward to making laptops even more portable. Many mobile companies are taking initiatives to turn their phones into a mini laptop of some sort. If this does become a trend, then devices would have the fullest capability of multipurpose usage while keeping the price at an amazing range suitable for everyone.
