In the beginning, the IBM ThinkPad consisted of 3 or 4 laptops, the 700T tablet, 700C flagship color display laptop, 300 a budget-conscious laptop. Additionally, there was the 700 which was a black and white version of the 700C. But before these, there was the black pocket notepad for IBM employees to jot down ideas, simply with the words THINK on the cover. During the development of the 700T, called 2521 at the time, Denny Wainwright said, “Let’s call it the ThinkPad!” to the team working on it. Word came around to Kathy Vieth, Vice President of their home PC division, and she called it the ThinkPad to the press in 1991 and to the masses at an expo in 1992 (CES or Computex).
These four computers gave strong impressions to consumers, had rave reviews & strong sales, which all of this gave IBM a strong presence in the mobile computer market industry. These computers had brought in a new IBM standard that set them apart from their earlier products. The design was by Richard Sapper & Tom Hardy, the TrackPoint was innovated by Ted Selker & Joseph Rutledge. And most importantly, it was engineered by Arimasa Naitoh & Yamato Labs facility; who developed the PS/55 laptops are the precursor to ThinkPads. These slick laptops were years ahead of the clunky, unpopular & failing products IBM NA was producing.
This era of ThinkPads became known for a rugged design, powerful portable processing, the intuitive TrackPoint mouse pointing system, IBM reliability, & iconic bento box design. The 300C being the closest example of Richard Sapper’s design concept of 1990, this was made possible by IBM Japan’s Yamato labs w/ head laptop designer Kazuhiko Yamazaki. All of these would be cemented to what made IBM the leader and standard of business laptops of the 90’s. Move over Macintosh 170, the IBM 700C was king!
I’ve always thought that the ThinkPads were IBM’s first laptop, but it was far from it. There were portables & clamshell-style computers made from the Boca Raton facility in Florida. While in Japan, IBM PC & soon to be laptops did not meet proper power & display requirements for Japanese, Chinese and Korean characters. So they engineered a closed source computer, completely different than the IBM PC, which eventually would get a laptop line of computers. It was Japan’s competitive miniaturization market that IBM of Japan tried to do its best to pierce through the laptop leader Toshiba.
Pre 80’s
IBM was the biggest name when it came to data. They have been involved with governments worldwide & businesses everywhere with their tabulation & punch card machines. When IBM introduced its first “modern” generation of mainframe computers in the ’50s, it cemented their prior dominance for the new age. IBM’s proprietary builds, constant patent applications, & massive wealth & infrastructure kept any other competition at bay. Additionally, IBM didn’t sell their equipment, they leased them out, with this model consumers could never ‘afford’ their computers, thus IBM had a better stranglehold on dependency. During this time the mainframe market was nicknamed as IBM and the Seven Dwarfs. Their competitors were no issue in the US and European markets, as they made less than 10% of all sales that IBM did combined.
The mini computer market would be born soon, as parts to build smaller mainframe style computers would become available in the market. But back then you had to use catalogs, configure dip switches & solder wires to make the computer, far different from the “easy HP had gotten a head start with their calculators made in the 1960’s, and Xerox at this time would boom with their photocopier inventions. When the ’70s came, IBM didn’t care much for the DIY mini computer craze. BASIC & CP/M became the Operating System of choice for the prebuilt mini computer. Xerox had a research facility in Silicon Valley called PARC. The first modern computer was built here, called Alto, it was the basis of the GUI, & networked systems we used today. We know Steve Jobs would ‘invent’ the GUI for the masses, and then MicroSoft would ‘steal’ it from Apple.
IBM figured it should join the mini computer market, so they made the 5100 in 1977, called the “Portable PC”. But not that IBM Portable PC you’re thinking of, and it’s quite a liberty to call it portable in today’s standards. By the end of the ’70s there were a few things brewing. Companies built microprocessors that revolutionized the industry. Motorola had their 68000, Zilog had their Z80, Intel had their lovely 4004, or 8080. In Japan Toshiba, as well as NEC were manufacturing chips too. Commodore became a household name in the UK, the Apple II was a hit in the United States, RadioShack/Tandy had their popularity, & Atari started to build computers alongside video game systems. Digital Research was making millions with their CP/M programming language being used for Intel 8080 or Zilog Z80 microprocessors. People liked to use MicroSoft BASIC, but it isn’t the giant as it was today. IBM had a small dip in the mini-computer market, but it wanted more. IBM wanted to get into the ‘Home Computer’ market, but they made deals which they thought they wouldn’t lose.
Around this time IBM hired legendary designer Richard Sapper to be their design consultant in 1980. Tom Hardy became an industrial designer for IBM, and he penned the iconic design of the IBM PC.
IBM PC & The Deal
1981 “Mini Computer” Market – Commodore VIC-20, Sinclair ZX81, NEC PC-8000, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A…
In August of 1981, IBM had formally entered the mini computer or Home Computer market with their 5150, for starters it was $3000, and if you needed it to be tasked for business needs, it was $4500. IBM sold its computers in a different approach than their mainframes, they decided to sell them through dealers & stores. Before IBM always sold or leased their servers directly though themselves, no middle man. Now you can buy an IBM PC at your local Sears or uh… whatever department stores they were. Every computer manufacturer had their proprietary OS or had software specifically made for the CPU they used, like CP/M. IBM decided to go with an Intel CPU but required software to be handled by their BIOS. IBM strangely went to build their computer from off the shelf parts, instead of building proprietary hardware like their mainframes. They had made the BIOS proprietary and believed that’s all they needed to do.
While the 5150 was in development in the massive Boca Raton facility in Florida, IBM execs were looking for software to run the system. The story goes that they first went to Bill Gates for an operating system, but MS-BASIC did not meet the needs of IBM, specifically, they wanted an operating system more capable. At the time Gates was not able to make an Operating System, as he was busy with delivering BASIC programming language for the 5150. He told the execs to meet his friend Gary Kildall of Digital Research, to license the CP/M software that is capable of IBM’s needs. They went to Kildall’s house to meet up with Gary, but he wasn’t there. The door was answered by Gary’s wife however, she grew frustrated with the IBMer’s demands, to license CP/M for $200K without any royalties as to how many sales IBM does with their PC. Though it is said it is Kildall’s fault, the folks IBM sent must of been terrible negotiators. Around this time Intel had approached GRiD into meeting IBM. Intel told them it was a company that was interested in their Operating System but didn’t say who it was. The people at GRiD showcased the system but didn’t make a deal with IBM, because they were solely focusing on it being built for the Compass.Â
Negotiations with Kildall were unsuccessful, as Gary did not return calls to deal with the big brother of big blue. Tall tales say Gary had a massive ego with his popular software, & was busy driving his sports cars or flying his helicopter. IBM went back to Gates and asked if he had any other connections, and this is when Gates bought a license from Seattle Computer Products for their 86-DOS operating system for $25K at first. Seeing the writing on the wall with IBM’s deal, he then paid $50K so that it can become under MicroSoft’s full control. Tim Patterson, the programmer who originally developed 86-DOS, left SCP and joined Microsoft. Gates asked him to modifying the code for IBM’s tastes, thus becoming MS-DOS, just a month before the IBM PC started shipping. Gates had added an extra clause to the license to IBM, to which they would be able to license the operating system to other companies. IBM believed their proprietary BIOS wasn’t able to be cloned legally, so they didn’t care about that clause.
IBM was able to work things out with Kildall and was able to sell CP/M-86 with the IBM PC. Gary recalls a handshake deal at an airport with IBM execs. As fate would have it, IBM would sell CP/M-86 software for $240, while MS-DOS can be had for a mere $40. Kildall took this as a backstab from IBM & Gates, however IBM said Digital Research high licensing fees is the reason why it cost so much. Gates did all the demands he could for IBM, as it was a multimillion dollar deal. In 1983 Kildall took a different direction from DRI, he joined Stewart Cheifet to co-host the TV show Computer Chronicles up until his death in 1995.
Clones & Competitors
1982 Desktops – DEC Rainbow 100, Commodore 64, Toshiba T100
1982 Portables – Kaypro II, GRiD Compass 1101, Epson HX-20, HP-75C
IBM had no patents on the IBM PC Hardware, simply on the BIOS. Apple had patents on their system, thus no one would ‘clone it’ unless Apple approved it. The hardware was out there in plain sight, software only needed to program to the BIOS & it would work with the computer. The writing was on the wall, and eventually there would be clones out there to copy it. To get around the BIOS copyright, companies had to build their own BIOS via the cleanroom approach, meaning the engineers would not be able to see how IBM’s BIOS code worked from the manuals.
The Osborne 1 was one of the first portable computers, released in June 1981. known as a luggable, the size & weight of a large briefcase. It came with free software and was a bargain at $1795, but it had a tiny 5″ CRT screen and weighed 25 lbs. At first, this small screen was a positive, because it means it couldn’t display many characters, which memory didn’t have to suffer. But with the release of the Kaypro II, it offered a 9″ CRT display, with an all-metal case with sharp edges and weighed 26 lbs and cost $1595, but didn’t come with software.
Also of to note in 1982, Intel allowed AMD to become a second source manufacturer of 8006 & 8088 CPUs.
GRiD – The Pioneer
GRiD Systems Corp had started up as a stealth company in 1979. John Ellenby was the founder of the company, he had left Xerox PARC division & brought a few colleagues from there. Given that the Alto was not seen by Xerox as something marketable, Ellenby possibly wanted to build an Alto for the masses, en thus GRiD Compass would be in development. In March of 1982, they would release the GRiD Compass 1101, featuring a clamshell design where the monitor folds towards the keyboard for portability, it was a revolution. At the time powerful portable computers were massive devices, essentially a desktop enclosed with a keyboard and CRT display. The more compact devices were simple word processors, with tiny LCDs, unable to compute with complex programs.
The Compass & other GRiD computers did not utilize MS-DOS, it had its own operating system GRiD-OS. The company marketed their products mostly to executives & CEOs, but had most of its customers in governments, defense forces, and famously NASA, as a modified 1101 (they added a case fan) went out in space, making history as the first laptop in space. GRiD’s computers were notoriously expensive, as well as their operating system and software. GRiD’s programmers developed software to meet their customer’s requests & had a phone modem for linking to networks across the US (globe?). GRiD had one of the first ‘cloud’ servers in the 1980’s, marketed to customers as a data backup.
If you are a fan of the sleek black bento box designs of ThinkPads, the Compass 1101 may entice you. The machine had the first electroluminescent display on a computer, but it required a lot of power. Although it was ‘portable’ it didn’t have a battery, it required to be plugged in. At $8150 it was not for the budget-conscious, but it came with “bubble memory” solid state storage & had a fairly powerful 8MHz Intel 8086 CPU, vs IBM PC’s 4.77MHz 8088. All of this made the Compass 1101 notoriously hot, requiring the rear ‘feet’ to help stand and elevate the computer. Although GRiD would make their software to meet customer needs, the growing dominance of MS-DOS required the company to build a machine compatible to run it.
Compaq – The PC Clone
1983 Desktops – Apple Lisa, Timex Sinclair 1500
1983 Portables – TI CC40, Kyocera KC-85, Gavilan SC
Compaq was started up by three Texas Instruments employees who wanted to do more. Similar to GRiD, they wanted to create products on their own without needing approval from their higher-ups. The engineers believed that they could make an IBM PC but as a portable like the Osborne 1. They saw the potential of building the IBM PC without having to worry about proprietary parts or patents. IBM’s BIOS is what ran the IBM PC system, rather than having software run directly through the processor, it had to run through the BIOS. IBM documented how the BIOS ran so that software engineers could make programs for it. Some companies had figured that if you read the manual, you could create your own BIOS, and if IBM caught you, they’d sue you. But if you didn’t read the manual, nor had directly been told what to do, then you’re good. This was called the Clean Room approach, and engineers who read IBM’s code were “dirty” & those who didn’t were “clean”.Â
Compaq was the first to create a BIOS that supposedly ran 95% of software designed for MS-DOS. Their cleanroom engineers never saw IBM’s BIOS code so they cannot comment about how close it was however, some were told it consisted of 50 percent less code than IBM’s. The Compaq Portable hit the shelves in 1983, featured a 9″ display and had the same Intel 8088 4.77MHz CPU as the IBM PC did. It was able to run MS-DOS, but no indication of it running CP/M-86. Through the years, Compaq quickly became the market leader for IBM PC clones, at least before Dell’s build to order system came along.
IBM PC Successors
It was two years since the original 5150 IBM PC was released. The start of “IBM PC Compatible” computers became a thing. IBM saw the limitations and needed to make a successor. However both computers that came out in 1983 did not meet expectations, and one was regrettable. The 5160 IBM PC-XT, successor to the 5150 was not a ‘real upgrade’ to a lot of people. It had brought in a few extra I/O slots, had a 10MB Seagate hard drive as standard, could come with a math coprocessor (also known as MCP, NDP, NPX, FPU) as an option. These benefited the Spreadsheet, math, database, business graphics programs, and the “new” CAD programs. After the initial hype, sales slowed down to be equal to the original 5150. There wasn’t a real improvement in the system to justify its price.
IBM needed to make a cheaper computer to complete its “PC” market. Afraid of taking sales away from the 5150 and 5160 computers, IBM purposely overpriced, underpowered & cut IBM PC software/hardware compatibility with the release of the PCjr in 1984. The wireless keyboard sucked, not because of the keys, but because of the wireless transmitter that would stop working intermittently. Even though it was cheaper than an IBM PC or XT, the Commodore 64 & Apple Lisa it was made to specifically compete against, was overpriced to them. On top of that, most people who bought them hated their purchase immediately.
A year after the Compaq portable was released & other portables entered the market, IBM decided they needed a luggable to compete. In February 1984, IBM released the 5155 Model 68, the Portable PC Computer, or IBM Portable for $4225. It was essentially an IBM PC-XT with a built-in 9″ CRT, with a keyboard. Due to the case size, it could not accept full-sized PC-XT expansion cards. And on top of everything, it was not cheaper than a Compaq Portable, which was seriously taking sales away from IBM.
IBM Japan’s Fujisawa Labs
The Japanese & East Asian market is a completely different beast when it comes to the North America & European market. IBM had its dominance in the mainframe market in Japan, about 40%. Though this does not sound strong vs NA/EU market shares, due to Japan’s nationality pride in buying domestic products, it was significant. Word Processors is a completely different product than computers in East Asian Markets. Due to the complex characters of Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese, the IBM PC’s monitor resolution was far more than inadequate to use, and due to the complexity of the character, the graphical capabilities were insufficient from the machine.
NEC had gotten a head start on the mini-computer with its PC-8000 series in 1979. Fujitsu had success with the computer market, in 1981 they were the largest PC company in Japan & had great success with their OASYS100 Word Processor. Seiko Epson had started making computers as well, famously the HX20. Toshiba would become the laptop giant, but at this time they were making transistors, televisions & other electronics.
Arimasa Naitoh joined IBM Japan in 1974, information is unclear if he was working at the Fujisawa plant or somewhere else. Arimasa is known as the father of Thinkpads & the 5535-M notebook is the precursor to the 700C. Let’s go back to the late 1970’s and the launch of the IBM PC. Although we may be familiar with the retro computer market, there were systems out there which it’s sole basis was word processing. Japanese katakana were complex characters compared to the English uh… letters. Toshiba released the JW-10 in 1979, the first of the ‘word processors’ where its simply duty was to type words, these are a bit more sophisticated than the word processors in the USA and EU.
The Multistation 5550 was released on November 1983, with a CRT pushing 1066 x 725 pixels. The 5550 was semi-proprietary than the 5150, I believe the Operating System was, & some of the parts were. They did outsource a considerable amount of parts to be produced by Matsushita (Panasonic’s old name), but this is because they couldn’t keep up with production. The 5550 had many different models before it evolved to the PS/55.
Bill Gates knew he had something with MS-DOS & he wanted to enter the Japanese computer market. He meet with NEC engineers when they were developing their PC-6000 machines. Negotiations ensued, and they made a compromise for the OS of the NEC-8800 series computers. ASCII was a microcomputer magazine being circulated in Japan since 1977. Microsoft and ASCII made a deal to create a sales office for M$ in 1979. They sold Microsoft Basic at their stores in 1980, and in 1983, ASCII & Microsoft created the MSX computer architecture standard, with many Japanese companies giving full support. I would think this development was completely different than the IBM PC compatible standard that was being implemented in the USA.
The MSX computers were similar to the Commodore 64 form factor & didn’t rely on proprietary chips, as many manufacturers could build one. IBM never made a computer using the MSX standard. Possibly it was too low of a price to compete, but IBM Japan kept on with the 5550 line of PCs, sticking with commercial and business use. Eventual Multistation 5550 lines had to change with the release of the PS/2, its proprietary architecture would be now follow’s PS/2’s MCA (Micro Channel Architecture), more on that later…
Etcetera
At the end of 1983, a few non-computer things happened. MIDI technical standard was launched at NAMM! This completely changed the electronic music-making industry, it was able to let instruments, devices & computers communicate with each other with ease. MIDI sequencing brought the “press play” composer, essentially made it easy for non-musicians to make music or at least sounds.Â
The Compact Disc started to become a popular form of music format for the general public. Philips & Sony would develop this system, they would become the innovators & dominant in the market for CD players of all sorts. Like cassette drives, CDs would eventually be introduced to the computer market in 1984 with the introduction of the CD-ROM format.
Microsoft Word was launched, which became the most popular word processing program on MS-DOS. Lotus 1-2-3 was the original spreadsheet program that BOOMED productivity for business mathematics. Richard Stallman started to develop the GNU operating system as a free alternative to UNIX.
Next week (Hopefully) I will talk about the portables that Boca Raton developed, the competitors IBM faced & the PS/55 line of computers.