Developer | Alan Kay |
---|---|
Release date | Concept 1972[1] |
The KiddiComp concept, envisioned by Alan Kay in 1968 while a PhD candidate,[2][3] and later developed and described as the Dynabook in his 1972 proposal "A personal computer for children of all ages",[1] outlines the requirements for a conceptual portable educational device that would offer similar functionality to that now supplied via a laptop computer or (in some of its other incarnations) a tablet or slate computer with the exception of the requirement for any Dynabook device offering near eternal battery life. Adults could also use a Dynabook, but the target audience was children.
Part of the motivation and funding for the Dynabook project came from the need for portable military maintenance, repair, and operations documentation.[citation needed] The prospect of eliminating the need to move large amounts of difficult-to-access paper in a dynamic military theater led to significant US Department of Defense funding.
Though the hardware required to create a Dynabook is here today, Alan Kay still[when?] thinks the Dynabook hasn't been invented yet, because key software and educational curricula are missing.[citation needed] When Microsoft came up with its tablet PC, Kay was quoted as saying "Microsoft's Tablet PC, the first Dynabook-like computer good enough to criticize".[4]
Toshiba also has a line of sub-notebook computers called DynaBooks. In June 2018, Sharp acquired a majority stake in Toshiba's PC business including laptops and tablets sold under the Dynabook brand.[5][6]
A standalone 'smart terminal' that uses one of these chips for a processor (and includes memory, a keyboard, a display and two cassettes) is now on the market for about $6 000