Editing Portable computer (section)

{{Short description|Lightweight, compact computer with built-in peripherals}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Laptop]], a microcomputer of a certain form factor, designed for consumer use}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2008}}
[[Image:Compaq portable.jpg|thumb|The [[Compaq Portable]], one of the first [[IBM PC compatible]] systems]]
[[Image:Ordi-portable-milouf-img 0999.jpg|thumb|A military-type mobile computer housed in a reinforced case]]
[[Image:Chassis-plans-mp3x17-fnt-obl-open-1280.jpg|thumb|A portable computer with three LCD screens]]
[[Image:Chassis-plans-mp1x20a fnt obl-1280.jpg|thumb|A portable computer with one 20.1-inch LCD screen, EATX motherboard]]
[[Image:MIT Suitcase Computer 1975.jpg|thumb|The MIT Suitcase Computer, MIT Digital Systems Laboratory, 1975]]

A '''portable computer''' is a [[computer]] designed to be easily moved<ref>As contrasted with [[DYSEAC]] and [[MOBIDIC]], 1950s era military systems which were truck-based/"movable by truck".</ref> from one place to another, as opposed to those designed to remain stationary at a single location such as [[desktop computer|desktop]]s and [[workstation]]s.  These computers usually include a [[computer monitor|display]] and [[computer keyboard|keyboard]] that are directly connected to the [[computer case|main case]], all sharing a single [[power plug]] together, much like later desktop computers called ''[[Desktop computer#All-in-one|all-in-ones]]'' (AIO) that integrate the system's internal components into the same case as the display.<ref name=pcmag-howtoaio>{{cite web|title=How to Buy an All-in-One PC|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409554,00.asp|website=PC Magazine|date=28 January 2015 |access-date=23 July 2021}}</ref>  In modern usage, a portable computer usually refers to a very light and compact [[personal computer]] such as a [[laptop]], [[subnotebook]] or [[handheld PC]], while [[touchscreen]]-based handheld ("palmtop") devices such as [[tablet computer|tablets]], [[phablet]]s and [[smartphone]]s are called [[mobile device]]s instead.

The first commercially sold portable computer might be the {{convert|20|lb|adj=on}} [[MCM/70]], released 1974.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} The next major portables were the {{convert|50|lb|adj=on}} [[IBM 5100]] (1975), [[Osborne Computer Corporation|Osborne]]'s {{convert|24|lb|adj=on}} [[CP/M]]-based [[Osborne 1]] (1981) and [[Compaq Computer Corporation|Compaq]]'s {{convert|28|lb|adj=on}}, advertised as 100% IBM [[PC compatible]] [[Compaq Portable]] (1983).  These '''luggable computers''' still required a continuous connection to an external power source;<ref name=Sh.Fr>{{cite web 
|url=https://computer.howstuffworks.com/first-portable-computer.htm
|title=What was the first portable computer? |author=Shanna Freeman|date=19 September 2012 }}</ref> this limitation was later overcome by the [[laptop computer]]s.<ref>"and plug in instead of relying on battery power."</ref><ref name=Sh.Fr/> Laptops were followed by lighter models such as [[netbook]]s, so that in the 2000s [[mobile device]]s and by 2007 [[smartphone]]s made the term "portable" rather meaningless. The 2010s introduced [[wearable computer]]s such as [[smartwatch]]es.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2015/1/181635-wearables/abstract|title=Wearables: Has the Age of Smartwatches Finally Arrived? {{!}} January 2015 {{!}} Communications of the ACM|last=Petre|first=Reza Rawassizadeh, Blaine A Price, Marian|website=cacm.acm.org|date=January 2015 |access-date=2017-05-05}}</ref>

Portable computers, more narrowly defined, are distinct from [[desktop replacement computer]]s in that they usually were constructed from full-specification desktop components, and often do not incorporate features associated with laptops or mobile devices. A portable computer in this usage, versus a laptop or other [[mobile computing]] [[mobile device|device]], have a standard [[motherboard]] or [[backplane]] providing plug-in slots for add-in cards. This allows mission specific cards such as test, A/D, or communication protocol (IEEE-488, 1553) to be installed. Portable computers also provide for more disk storage by using standard disk drives and provide for multiple drives.