…1983: The TRS-80 Model 100 is considered the first portable computer. The TRS-80 was released by Radio Shack in the United States on March 29th. It was based on a 2.4 MHz processor (yes, there is actually a comma between the 2 and the 4), an Intel 80C85 and was equipped with 8 to 24 KiByte (not MiByte) of RAM. The keyboard had 56 keys and an LCD with 8 lines of 40 characters each – characters, not pixels! A modem with 300 baud, the usual interfaces and an interface to a tape drive completed the equipment. The 32 KiB ROM contained five preinstalled programs including an address book, Microsoft Basic, an appointment planner and a text editor.
The NEC PC-8201 and the Olivetti M-10 also use the same system basis and all three were built by Kyocera. Thanks to its low weight of around 2 kilograms (3.9 pounds) and the software package, the Radio Shack model was able to sell well to business customers. It also only cost $799 to $1,134, depending on the RAM configuration.