This [0] was the first portable computer my father brought home it was light in weight and they advertised with 'the only computer that fits under an airline seat'.
The T1100 was released in 1985 at 9lbs. The NEC Ultralight was 1988 at 4.4lbs and set the standard for "notebook" (as opposed to "laptop").
One of the reviews in TFA mentions that they considered it too bulky to qualify as a "notebook" computer. This computer was on the heavy side of normal for a "laptop" of the day, but definitely not light for the day.
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A more fair comparison might be the Compaq LTE (1989), which had a hard-drive and weighed under 7 lbs (if someone can find a more specific number let me know). The LTE/386 came out not long after this, weighed 7.5lbs and had a similar thickness.
Yeah but look, this is ten years later. The first laptop I ever owned was a AT&T Safari NSX/20, also made in 1991, and it was 2kg lighter than this thing, with all the same features and then some.
Yeah, and it cost $10,000, right? Just like every other PC and workstation AT&T ever sold.
If you want to compare apples to apples, look at the Tecra 500CS from 1996 that was my first laptop in '97 - it cost me $700 practically new. (Then as now, ex-fleet machines are a great way to go, as long as you pick ones that were issued to people who hate computers.) For what this was doing half a decade later, it doesn't make the 1991 model look too shabby, although I concede nothing in those days had as much as one one-millionth of the price/performance of almost anything you can pick off a shelf today.
Some of theirs were Samsung, some Panasonic, some other even-lesser-known OEM, but yes. I have a couple that are called AT&T “GLOBALYST” which is kind of the best name ever lol https://www.macdat.net/laptops/at&t/globalyst_200s.php
All I can think of is the Acura(Honda) NSX was the inspiration of their marketing.
First announced as the NS-X at the Chicago and Tokyo auto shows in 1989, later sold in Japan in 1990 as the NSX, that's a possibility.
> Computer Ads from the Past
Depending on the geopolitical situation, these could also be ads from the future.
"The German computer magazine HCC Nieuws Brief for March 1991..."
It's not German, it's Dutch.
I don't know why the subtitle is "Light in weight" when this is the heaviest laptop I've ever heard of.
This [0] was the first portable computer my father brought home it was light in weight and they advertised with 'the only computer that fits under an airline seat'.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1
The T1100 was released in 1985 at 9lbs. The NEC Ultralight was 1988 at 4.4lbs and set the standard for "notebook" (as opposed to "laptop").
One of the reviews in TFA mentions that they considered it too bulky to qualify as a "notebook" computer. This computer was on the heavy side of normal for a "laptop" of the day, but definitely not light for the day.
[edit]
A more fair comparison might be the Compaq LTE (1989), which had a hard-drive and weighed under 7 lbs (if someone can find a more specific number let me know). The LTE/386 came out not long after this, weighed 7.5lbs and had a similar thickness.
Yeah but look, this is ten years later. The first laptop I ever owned was a AT&T Safari NSX/20, also made in 1991, and it was 2kg lighter than this thing, with all the same features and then some.
Yeah, and it cost $10,000, right? Just like every other PC and workstation AT&T ever sold.
If you want to compare apples to apples, look at the Tecra 500CS from 1996 that was my first laptop in '97 - it cost me $700 practically new. (Then as now, ex-fleet machines are a great way to go, as long as you pick ones that were issued to people who hate computers.) For what this was doing half a decade later, it doesn't make the 1991 model look too shabby, although I concede nothing in those days had as much as one one-millionth of the price/performance of almost anything you can pick off a shelf today.
https://www.minuszerodegrees.net/manuals/Toshiba/Tecra/Toshi...
Didn't know AT&T made laptops, but then again, i'm not from the US.
Pretty sure it was a rebadged Samsung.
Some of theirs were Samsung, some Panasonic, some other even-lesser-known OEM, but yes. I have a couple that are called AT&T “GLOBALYST” which is kind of the best name ever lol https://www.macdat.net/laptops/at&t/globalyst_200s.php
Because this was 1990, and it was light for the time
No, see all the other replies. This is way heavier than all of the competitors from brands you've actually heard of (i.e. not "altima")