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This computer, about the size of a suitcase, will be the progenitor of modern portable computers, an honor shared with the Osborne 1 (which used CP/M) and the Hyperion (although it used MS-DOS as its operating system, it was not fully compatible).

Technical specifications of computer Compaq Portable

Manufactured by: Compaq
Launched: 1983
Price: 3590 USD
Manufactured in USA
CPU: Intel 8086
Memory: None
Hard drive:
Operating system: MS-DOS
Innovations: It was the first computer that was 100% compatible with the IBM PC and was not manufactured by IBM, and it was also the first portable PC considered an economic success.

Thanks to Microsoft's right to license MS-DOS to other manufacturers and the use of third-party parts that IBM used for the PC, Compaq was able to create this computer. However, the most difficult part was copying the BIOS, for which Compaq resorted to reverse engineering, investing over $1 million.

Although many companies launched into the production of compatible computers, none reached the level of compatibility with the IBM PC that Compaq achieved (95%) until other companies such as Phoenix Technologies began selling compatible BIOSes (also developed through reverse engineering).

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Contemporary computers of Compaq Portable


Manufacturer: IBM
CPU: Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz



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Manufacturer: BASE
CPU: 6502A @ 1 MHz


This computer was a clone of the Apple II.

Models sold in Spain by Micompsa included an additional Spanish character set.

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Manufacturer: Kaypro
CPU: Zilog Z80

The Kaypro 10 was one of the first computers to come with a hard drive as a standard component. It came with a 10-megabyte internal hard drive and a single DS/DD floppy disk drive.

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Manufacturer: Philips
CPU: Zilog Z80A @ 3.56 MHz


Philips produced a few of its own computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but later adopted the MSX standard. This VG8020 was manufactured for Philips by Kyocera (in Japan).

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Manufacturer: Tandy
Launched: Apr 1983
CPU: Zilog Z80 @ 4 MHz


The Model 4 is fully compatible with Model III and CP/M application software. A diskless Model 4 (with 16 KB of RAM and Level II BASIC) cost $999.

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Manufacturer: Tandy
Launched: Oct 1983
CPU: Zilog Z80 @ 4 MHz


The Model 4P is a portable version introduced in September 1983 and discontinued in early 1985. It is functionally identical to the dual-drive desktop model but lacks the card-edge connector for two external floppy drives and the cassette tape interface. It has a slot for an internal modem card and could emulate a Model III.

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Manufacturer: Apple
Launched: Nov 1983
CPU: MOS Tecnology 6502 @ 2 MHz


The Apple III didn't comply with FCC regulations, so a new model had to be released.
It came with 256 KB of RAM as standard and a redesigned keyboard similar to the Apple IIe.

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Manufacturer: Atari
Launched: Dec 1983
CPU: MOS Technology 6502 @ 1.77 MHz


The 800XL was the best-selling model in Atari's 8-bit line.

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Manufacturer: Atari
Launched: Dec 1983
CPU: MOS Technology 6502 @ 1.77 MHz



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