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8 groundbreaking laptops that changed the game
Nowadays, it's hard to keep track of the best laptops because every brand has countless models in their lineups and there's an abundant choice. We hardly notice the many innovative convertible and gaming laptops that are released each year because they are promptly forgotten when the newer model comes out a few months later.
This wasn't always the case, and some laptops from the past were real game-changers that redefined what was possible because of their outstanding designs or features. In this article, we'll take a trip down memory lane to discover eight groundbreaking laptops that changed the game.
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Osborne 1 (1981)
The one that started it all
No innovative laptop list is complete without mentioning the granddaddy of them all, the Osborne 1. It launched in 1981 and is considered the first commercially successful portable computer despite weighing a hefty 24.5 lbs. The asking price of $1,795 might seem costly today, but it was considered a bargain at the time because of its bundled software valued at around $1,500.
The Osborne 1 ran on the CP/M 2.2 operating system and displayed all the information on a 5-inch monochrome screen. A 4Mhz Zilog Z80 CPU provided processing power with 64KB of RAM and dual 5¼-inch floppy drives for storage. The bundled software included SuperCalc for spreadsheets, WordStar for word processing, and games like Bomber and Chess.
Commodore SX-64 (1984)
The beginning of the color era
Commodore's SX-64 from 1984 was the first portable computer with a full-color screen. The five-inch built-in monitor was considered a huge innovation at the time because it displayed the OS in blue text on a white background instead of the usual monochrome screen. It could also display games like Bionic Commando and Rocket Ranger in full color and with amazing clarity.
The performance was excellent because it took the internals from the legendary Commodore 64 and stuck them into a smaller design. These included a MOS Technology 6510 CPU with 64 KB of RAM and a built-in floppy drive. Like other portable computers at the time, it was bulky at 20.5 by 13 by 9 inches, and its massive 24.5-lb weight required a built-in metal handle to carry it around.
IBM Thinkpad 700C (1992)
It's time for business
IBM's Thinkpad 700C was the birth of an icon that set the standard for business laptops because of its performance and practicality. It pioneered the boxy black exterior, seven-row keyboard, and Trackpoint pointer that defined IBM's brand identity for years. The 700C was the highest-spec model in the ThinkPad lineup targeted at business users, followed by the standard 700 and the budget-friendly 300 at lower price points.
The 700C was undoubtedly the pick of the bunch, with a 10.4-inch, 256-color active matrix LCD display, the largest on any laptop at the time. The laptop was also powerful enough to handle most tasks, with a 50MHz IBM 486 CPU, 16MB of RAM, and 120MB of storage space at its highest spec. The earlier models ran MS-DOS 5.0 or OS/2 2.0 as their OS before IBM upgraded to Windows 3.1 in later editions.
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Apple PowerBook G4 (2003)
Go big or go home
The 2003 PowerBook G4 was one of Apple's most innovative products and included many firsts for the brand. Users were awed by the massive 17-inch display that offered 1440x900 resolution and was the largest of any laptop in its era. Apart from the display, the PowerBook G4 is notable for being the first laptop with a backlit keyboard and Apple's first with built-in Bluetooth and a wireless adapter.
The PowerBook G4 was slim for an innovative laptop, with a one-inch aluminum frame that weighed just 6.8 lbs. Power wasn't an issue, and its 1 GHz PowerPC G4 CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 60GB hard drive could take on any task. It also had an Nvidia GeForce4 440 GPU with 64GB of RAM to run PhotoShop and other graphics apps.
Asus Eee PC (2007)
Size doesn't matter
The 2007 Asus Eee PC is at the opposite end of the spectrum as a compact, low-cost option accessible to everyone. This model started the short-lived netbook craze in the pre-tablet era with an 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.4-inch body and 7-inch display offering a 800x400 resolution. This, combined with its lightweight 2.03lb design, made it the ideal companion for users wanting a computer that could go anywhere with them without taking up much space.
The Eee PC's limited performance from the Intel Mobile Celeron-M ULV 353 processor with 512MB of RAM and up to 16GB of storage space wasn't an issue because it fulfilled its role in browsing, emails, and other light tasks. Initial models ran on the Linux-based Xandros OS and included bundled software like OpenOffice and FireFox to keep costs down. Asus later started shipping them with Windows XP, which was more popular but slowed performance further.
Microsoft Surface Pro (2013)
The best of both worlds
Microsoft's 2013 Surface Pro makes this list because it blurs the lines between a laptop and a tablet. It has all the characteristics of a tablet, with a slim 10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53-inch body that weighs 2 lbs. The 10.6-inch display offers fantastic clarity with 1920x1080 resolution, 10-point multi-touch, and pen support. However, it transforms into a laptop when paired with two detachable keyboards, the Type Cover and Touch Cover, sold separately.
One of the Surface Pro's main advantages was its impressive power for its size thanks to the 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317u CPU, 4GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of storage space. It could perform as well as most business laptops of its day, and running on Windows 8 made it compatible with most productivity apps and hardware peripherals.
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Samsung Series 5 (2011)
A step in a new direction
Samsung's Series 5 from 2011 was the world's first Chromebook and provided a viable alternative to Windows-based laptops. The lightweight ChromeOS was perfect for people primarily using web-based apps and ran on an Intel Atom N570 CPU with 2GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD. One of its biggest advantages was its lengthy battery life that could easily handle all-day use.
The compact Samsung Series 5 Chromebook was perfect for busy users wanting a portable solution and included a 12.1-inch display powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150. It had a decent port selection considering its size with two USB-A ports, 3.5mm audio, a sim card slot and a card reader. Connectivity was limited to Wi-Fi, with no Bluetooth or Ethernet ports.
Apple MacBook Air M1 (2020)
Power and efficiency
Apple's 2020 MacBook Air was the first laptop in the company's lineup to use the in-house M1 chip instead of Intel's offerings. The chip had an 8-core CPU with a 7-core GPU integrated in a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design. It was paired with between 8-16GB of unifying memory and between 256GB and 2TB of storage space. This package was a huge step-up and offered an unbeatable balance of power and efficiency.
The Macbook Air M1 wasn't just about performance and followed Apple's minimalist design ethos with a slimline case Gold, Silver, and Space Gray that weighed just 2.8lbs. Visuals were courtesy of a stunning 13.3-inch Retina display offering 2560x1600 native resolution.
What about other groundbreaking laptops?
It's impossible to list all the groundbreaking laptops to grace the world because this list would go on forever. Our choices made the list because of their impact and game-changing design, and we've had to leave out many honorable mentions, like the Gateway 2100 and original Alienware Area 51-m, which also broke new ground.
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