 Astronaut John Creighton posing with a Grid Compass aboard a Space Shuttle Discovery mission in 1985. | |
| Developer | Bill Moggridge[1] |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | GRiD Systems Corp. |
| Type | Laptop computer |
| Release date | April 1982 |
| Introductory price | US$8,150 (equivalent to $25,730 in 2023)[2] |
| Operating system | CCOS (Compass Computer Operating System), optionally MS-DOS 2 |
| CPU | Intel 8086 |
| Memory | 256 KB[3] |
| Storage | 384 KB magnetic bubble[3][4] |
| Display | 320 × 240 |
| Connectivity | 19-pin "serial", Telephone line+Audio 1,200 bit/s modem, GPIB[4] |
| Successor | GridCase 2 |
The Grid Compass is a family of laptop computers introduced in 1982 by the Grid Systems Corporation. The design for the Compass was rendered by Bill Moggridge. Owing to its clamshell design—the first in a portable computer—some historians credit the original Compass as the first ever laptop.[5]
This original model of Compass lacked an internal battery compartment, requiring AC power from the wall.[5] Grid sold the succeeding model, the Compass II, in 1984 with an optional external battery unit.[6]: 91 Grid replaced the Compass with the GridCase line in 1985.[7]
- ^ Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. "GRiD Compass Laptop Computer Prototype, 1981". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "World's first laptop. Osborne 1 GRiD Compass 1101". The Longest list of the longest stuff at the longest domain name at long last. Archived from the original on 2016-12-03. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "GRiD Compass 1101". oldcomputers.net.
- ^ a b Dave. "Old computers". Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ a b McCracken, Harry (July 17, 2012). "Clamshell! The story of the best computing form factor ever". CNN.com. Time Inc. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022.
- ^ Foster, Edward (March 1985). "'Lap' Portables: How Small Is Too Small". Personal Computing. 9 (3). Hayden Publishing: 82–97 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Casella, Phil (June 16, 1986). "Attractive Gridcase 2 Runs Well, Costs More". InfoWorld. 8 (24). IDG Publications: 54–55 – via Google Books.