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5155 model 68 transdata5/25/2023 ![]() ![]() The Mac form factor and GUI impressed millions and it showed that Apple didn’t have to cave to the IBM PC compatible market. It would be several years before Apple would release a laptop. The Macintosh was a small desktop at $2500, & it was portable enough for people to consider it instead of the PC Portable or Compaq. Apple released the Macintosh, with its CRT built-in at $2500, and it’s snazzy GUI. IBM had a lot to fight up against if it wanted to be the king, but their competition kept on ahead.Īpple gave the middle finger to IBM with its famous 1984 commercial advertisement during Super Bowl XVIII. During this time the 5.25″ floppy was widely used and popular, but a smaller 3.5″ floppy got released and started to gain popularity. But still there as a few luggables like the Zenith Z-160 PC, Kaypro 2X or Kaypro 4. Other companies started to follow, the Dulmont Magnum, HP 110, NEC PC 8401A all had clam-shell designs. A year prior the Gavilan SC & Sharp PC-500 were both a simpler, cheaper clam-shell PC than the GRiD Compass 1101 or 1129. The portable market was slowly starting to emerge. There was no real advantage for manufacturers to microsize their extension cards for one computer, vs the world of clones being developed. You may of waited for smaller cards being built, or be disappointing that none were built at all. Due to the 5155 being a bit shorter, most of the cards built would not fit, this also affected the Compaq Portable, but it didn’t cost $700 more. Due to how the PC/XT was built, most of the extension cards were made tall & long to fit the desktop case. The PC Portable was a flop, while the PC/XT came with a hard disk as standard, the 5155 did not. Good thing they used a wired keyboard and not the PCjr 99% never working wireless keyboard. It was 100% IBM Compatible because well, it was made by IBM, but it cost $700 more than Compaq’s computer, offered the same performance & it weighed a little bit more at 30 pounds vs 28lbs. It cost $4225 at launch, and the system was a PC/XT motherboard with a built-in CRT & keyboard. In 1984 IBM released the IBM PC Portable 5155 model 68, it was a luggable computer that looked to be a direct competitor to the Compaq Portable.
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