IBM had a very long and troubled history in the development and release of portable machines. It's first machines were playing catchup in an world where many of the technologies which would enable computers to be a great mobile experience simply didn't exist. For nearly a decade, IBM's portable machines were saddled with heavy displays which caused eye-strain, little or no battery life, lacklustre features and mind-numbing model names.
Early Attempts
IBM's various first attempts to develop portable computers included it's very early unreleased 'Scamp' and the very limited-release '5100' Portable computers.
IBM 5100 Portable Computer
It's 1977 codename ‘Aquarius’, using bubble technology. Never released!
IBM Aquarius
IBM Transportables or Luggables
By 1983, Compaq had 'clean lab' designed (not reverse engineered) it's own BIOS to enable legal cloning of IBM Personal Computers and in order so as to not directly compete with IBM, it decided to release it's first computer as a portable machine - something IBM were not doing.
Compaq Portable
IBM's response was released in Feburary 1984 - IBM's 'Sewing Machine" 5155 Portable Personal Computer - was late, expensive, slow, heavy and with (what was considered) an awful amber screen. The market felt that didn’t look or feel good. It had no battery and had to continually be plugged in. A lot went to Harvard who eventually replaced them with Zenith machines. The 5155 was considered a failure.
IBM Portable Personal Computer 5155
I have a complete-in-box 5155 and having been through a great deal of preservation work on it, the machine certainly won't win any awards for innovation. Inside it's distinctly a 5150 motherboard, squeezed under a CRT screen and some massive desktop drives. It looks and feels like IBM took a leaf out of the clone PC manufacturers books and cobbled together pieces of a PC already on the self.
In 1986, the IBM Convertible was a 'matrix' approach to portable development between the labs at Boca Raton and Austin. The Convertible was a weird expandable clamshell machine all of it's own, sharing lots of peripherals with the cheaped-out IBM PC Jnr. Again, it wasn't really mobile, but transportable as it had to be mains powered and was very big and heavy. It did, at least, have a low-energy folding flat display and a carry handle. It suffered with new deficiencies which were just as bad as the 5155 - it was an 8086 in a 286 world, it had a terrible, monochrome and blurry display and for a portable machine, it bizarrely had no modem (initially). It also sported 3.5" floppy drives, ahead of their mass adoption and everyong still wanted 5.25" for compatibility. IBM didn't market the machine very well.
IBM Convertible
I also have a IBM Convertible complete in box and whilst it's now very much a custom-designed machine with everything inside the Convertible new from the ground-up, it's a deeply flawed machine. There are many strange images online of expanded Convertibles which just go on and on forever. My experience of preservation has been distinctly troublesome, meainly due to the terrible screens. There were three iterations of the squashed display - the first, flawed, non-backlight one, a second iteration of the first one with an extra contrast slider and a final electro-luminescent blue display - which is by far the best. The first two most common panels are very hard to read and use rubber strips around the display to energise the pixels. These rubber strips are all starting to fail and despite the raw materials still be widely available, i've found them impossible to replace.
Expanded IBM Convertible with Thermal Printer, Parallel & Serial Adaptor, and CRT adaptor.
MCA Side Note...
In mid-1987, IBM wanted to try to claw back it's PC market lost to clone manufacturers, thus Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) was launched which would mean their PC's would run the same software, felt the same as ISA clones, but would only work with IBM hardware. The idea just didn't work because IBM-PC clones were as good or better and cheaper. If MCA has been done (along with the patented BIOS) from the beginning then maybe it could have worked. It also took a year for IBM to support 3rd party MCA manufacturers. Not only did this sideline IBM from a market they had created but it poisoned the PS/2 name somewhat.
IBM Takes Portable Personal Systems Seriously
At the end of 1988 James Cannavino was head of IBM's Entry Systems Division and was made global IBM Personal Systems manager. At this time it was clear IBM were still focused on the aging 286 CPU (bizarrely when they had secured a deal to make their own 386 processors) and OS/2.
Bob Lawten- manager of Special Development Operatipns was recruited by Cannavino to develop the next portable IBM, who in turn recruited Suarez who was allowed to develope a Skunkworks project to make the third ibm portable. Suarez could only muster up 4 Engineers in the USA, so they went to Japan, because not only had they been developing PS/55 portables which people bought but also Yamato had excess engineers. This is how IBM's portable engineering ended up in Japan.
By September 1989 - codename "Aloha" was slowly becoming the third portable - which became the 386 PS/2 P70 'luggable'. It had a distinctive high quality thin and light plasma display and was briefly considered a success by becoming No.2 in portable market. The P70 and P75 took the IBM Personal Systems division from $1.4bn loss to $1.2bn profit. With the P70, IBM had finally matched the market with a luggable 'transportable' computer with a decent spec and a high resolution, blacklit plasma screen. However, rumours were abound that there was a new screen in town, which was the Japanese-designed STN. After only 5 months, the P70 and later. a colour P75 (released Nov 90) were for nothing because STN true portable notebooks had arrived - the (albeit underpowered 286) Compaq LTE notebook PC. (Pronounced lite), quickly followed by the Toshiba T1100. Nobody wanted luggables anymore.
IBM PS/2 P70
The P70 and P75 are remarkably similar in design and looks to the alternative luggable released nearly two years beforehand! The 1987 Compaq Portable III:
And here is what upset the applecart - the Compaq LTE:
It's worth noting that the Data General/One had been released since way back in 1984 and is widely recognised as a machine which 'invented' the laptop' clamshell form factor, but was not particularly successful, perhaps due to the poor image display.
IBM Desktop-Repacement Portables
PS/2 L40 SX - In March 1991, IBM's delayed and troubled response to the Compaq LTE and notebooks of it's ilk was IBM’s first cream laptop with an LCD and a 386 - the PS/2 L40SX. Unfortunately not a notebook. IBM felt that the size had to be large because it was driven by IBM’s bad experience with the small PC Jnr keyboard (best keyboard ethos drove IBM to take keyboard design from a selectric typewriter) The whole form factor was too just big although it did sell 100,000 units.
IBM PS/2 L40 SX
Ultimately, the L40SX was again failed to hit the mark, but the platform lived on as a test bed and it's Power management algorythms live on today. The L40 SX was developed further interally with a TFT 10.4” color display and trackpoint.
Also around this time, IBM had recruited an external design mogul - Richard Sapper, who saw the L40 SX and didn't like it. At first, Sapper suggested a bunch of changes to the L40 SX.
Richard Sapper's IBM Notebook Protype
What's interesting about this is that the L40 SX is sometimes referred to as 'the father of the Thinkpad' which initially appears to hold little water. The L40 SX is so far off-the-mark and with so many other machines influencing the Thinkpad C52 / 700C to a more obvious extent (The CL57's screen, the PS/55 note's black notebook form...) however, when you see this re-imagined Sapper L40 SX with it's black case, better (looking like the 10.4" TFT) screen, angled side profile and smaller note keyboard you can kinda buy it. It's also said that these suggestions or changes were held back due to IBM wishing the 700C to make such a revolutionary impact. Despite the parallel releases of the Japanese notes and black desktop replacements, an international 'black' portable was still considered 'too wild' by upper IBM management.
Many were glad that their ideas of 'the next big thing' weren't diluted by the L40's misses.
Type 5535 Multistations - a short-lived desktop replacement' range for Japan only, in various shapes and sizes, often with quite big keyboards and screens. Some in biege, some in black. Black was certainly beginning to be considered acceptable by IBM.
IBM PS/55 Multistation-M
PS/2 CL57 SX - A stand-out multistation under international release, 'Desktop Replacement' niche machine with it's biggest feature being a joint project 10.4" TFT Screen made by Toshiba (who commited to purchasing the other half) - a large black trackball-equipped IBM PS/2 famed for being the first notebook with a colour TFT screen. However, the CL57 is too big, it's an MCA machine and the trackball isn't very ergonomic at all. Some would say it's a multistation 'skunkworks' machine from Japan that was repackaged.from it's original N27 SX Asia branding and resold internationally. The TFT screen was revolutionary but the backlight was still too big and demanded a huge lid and bezel - once the screen's backlight was miniaturised enough to fit within a notebook chassis, IBM would have their killer feature.
IBM PS/55 CL57 SX
What is a notebook? A personal computer which must run on battery and AC power, smaller than a briefcase so can easily be transported and used in temporary places. It's typically 3 inches or less in thickness and has the footprint, roughly of an A4 notebook. You may not want it as your main computer whereas a laptop typically can be a bit bigger ,has more connections / drives, still considered portable but closer to a 'desktop replacement' computer.
IBM's First Notebook (form factor computer)
Model 5499 On-Line Note - a small, notebook-style, portable mainframe terminal, pretty-much unrelated to most other machines, although it's early 'notebook' design is interesting. It is likely completely unrelated to everything else here, but it's form factor is evidence of IBM being able to design and build a true notebook form factor.
It was not a mass market machine and had virtually no processing power of it's own. It barely had any memory or storage.
If we're being chronological, the 5499 On Line note was released in October 1989 and was IBM's first notebook. However, it was not mass-market and really wasn't much use to most people. Spring 1991 saw the release of two mass-market machines - the 5523 PS/55 Note and the L40 SX. The L40 is a laptop and not a notebook. As a side-note, the PCradio was also released late 1991 and was certainly notebook-ish.
IBM 5499 On-Line Note
IBMs Second First IBM Notebook
PS/55 Notes, PS/2 Notes and PS/Notes - were a proper personal computer on wider release. They were all similar, black, 'me too' notebook computers selling well in Japan and then increasingly deserving and gaining an international release. There are some grey areas whereby some models were designed by IBM and some were designed externally creating some dead-ends along the way (with co-operative machines created between IBM, Toshiba, Lexmark, Zenith and possibly a few others). They were being released before IBM engineers took seriously what a customer wanted - and therefore the screen, weight, battery, keyboard, no pointing device we all 'me too' and aside from the black case, far from innovative.
I've seen some spaces that credit Sapper with the design of the PS/55 notes, which seems to carry weight given Sapper used a similar, black angular design and keyboard in the Thinkpad.
IBM PS/55 note (N33)
Due to the success of the Japanese-only IBM PS/55 note range, the international market got Westernised versions called PS/Notes (8523). The ISA N23 and N33 machines evolved into the MCA N51, colour C23V . At this point, there was a change in direction for IBM's portables, where Value models were going to be outsourced and Premium models were designed in house.
Also IBM's CEO had realised computers named after acronyms and numbers could no longer continue - if he didn't know what one of these models was, how could a customer be expected to know? IBM Corporate Naming had arrived.
IBM's First Thinkpad Was Not A Notebook
Thinkpad - initially a brand name given to a pen tablet sporting a monocrhome transflexive digitiser and display, solid state storage, magnesium case and industrial design.It was first shown in late 1991. IBM had been asked if they would consider building a tablet by a company called GO who had recieved an RFP to provide a tablet PC to a large american company 'State Farm'. Go made the Pen touch software and convinced IBM that tablets were going to be the next big thing. Whitestone was the prototype and it's Magnesium chassis was strong, light, and limited radio interference Over the course of it's development, projected sales figures changed from 100,000 units a year to 5,000, and the whole development became a void sucking in people, time, resources and cash.
IBM's family of Thinkpad pen tablets (left to right) 700T. 710T, 730T, 730TE
Key advocates of the Thinkpad tablet left after a few years, leaving a severe lack of leadership. Eventually, the machine wasn't widely available until Oct 92. In this six month delay there was faster (with the better 386SL CPU) alternative tablets, other pen operating systems. the 700T lacked PCMCIA and it's NiCd batteries only lasted 45 minutes whereas NiMH lasted 3 hours. Over the course of 1992, by the time the Thinkpad was widely availble, there were too many manufacturers, too few customers, not enough software and the Thinkpad itself was a high price.
Ultimately, along with all the other mobile development, it's team started in Boca Raton but was moved to Yamoto along with all the other mobile stuff, where it would gradually die - mainly because nobody there knew what to do with it. It was a great name for a product 20 years ahead of it's time.
The Thinkpad Name Lives On
There were some disagreement internally about re-using the 'Thinkpad' name for a notebook, but most people thought it was too-good a name to let die.
Also around this time, IBM's Tom Selker had developed the Trackpoint II pointing device which enabled mobile users to use a pointer or GUI without an additional peripheral or twice the desk space. Initially this was a 'joystick' which sat between the G an H keys, as with the rest of it's life, it looked like it would get in the way and be horrible to use - but it wasn't!
The original Trackpoint was simply a red rollerball/trackball, seen on standalone devices, the N27SX/CL57 and the Thinkpad 220. Again we have a name which is too good to waste, so IBM decided to re-use the 'Trackpoint' name and show evolution by giving it a II (and eventually III) title.
Here is a video of the prototype 'Trackpoint II' still being called a 'pointing stick' and being trialled on a full size Desktop keyboard:
Later developments of the 'pointing stick' became more red, positiioned slightly lower and incorporated into the L40SX test bed and it's M3 keyboard. Forgive this low-resolution image, but someone shared with me what is possibly an internal presentation title page, which clearly shows the L40SX with a pointing stick!
Eventually, what had evolved through dozens of flawed and failed machines, codename "Nectarine" became the PS/2 C52 700C which was also quickly re-branded as the IBM Thinkpad 700C.
Thankfully Corporate Naming meant product managers could now state a case for their machine to have a distinctive title. Can you imagine if the unforgettable IBM Thinkpad had been branded using the legacy conventions? Well you don't have to imagine because for a brief period, it was:
The IBM Thinkpad 700C's Japanese name.
To be fair to IBM Japan, it's possible that geeky family titles suited those who bought PS/55 notes better than a new western name they'd never heard of. But if IBM had any chance of International traction for what an incredible machine they had, the press would need something more snappy.
You could argue that the catchy name, combined with the stark, black design of the Thinkpad (distinctly black, notebook form factor, TFT panel, 486 CPU had all come before, in these different releases) combined with the revolutionary Trackpoint II pointing device, front-facing drives and decent battery life created a billion dollar brand.
IBM Thinkpad 700C
What is a Thinkpad? Quick answer: It's a stylish, futuristic black notebook with a red dot.
IBM Thinkpad PS/2 M52 / 700C
What first made the Thinkpad stand out?
- A 10.4" TFT colour display - the first and only machine to have such an eye-popping high contrast, high speed, colour display.
- A trackpoint II pointing device (for Windows 3.1) truly solved the issue using Windows and OS/2 on a mobile computer.
- Jet black bento box - distinctive and futuristic.
as well as:
- Outstanding ergonomics - it was thin and light (under 10Lbs) and had the best possible keyboard.
- It fits in a briefcase
- It had an external displayport for presentations, and you could easily switch to and from it.
- It had user-replacable and upgradable parts - namely drives, disks and memory.
- You could work on a tray table on a plane, not bother the person next to you and you wouldn't have eye strain.
It combined:
- The ideas of a folding-lid, high quality keyboard and low-energy display running from batteries originally incorporated into the IBM L40 SX
- The unique (for computers) colour black and the bento box (notebook) form factor of the earliest Japanese notes, through to the ISA C23V and the MCA N51
- The sharp, colour TFT screen from the CL57 SX minturised into the C23V which squeezed the screen into a notebook lid.
- Added a trackpoint II and forward-facing drives and gave it a cool red and black colour scheme
- A snappy name that people could easily recognise and remember. The Thinkpad.
Throughout IBM's stewardship of this brand, there were some dead ends - mostly through weird offshoots and third-party manufacturing. But the core Thinkpad as it's own unique portable computer survives today as a machine you can rely on.
...all except hinges which were still a creeping progression of 'solved' by the time we recieved 750.