October 1992
IBM ThinkPad 700C released
IBMInternational Business Machines — a major computer and enterprise technology company since the early 20th century. launched the ThinkPad 700C in October 1992 — a laptop with a 10.4-inch color display, TrackPoint, and a folding keyboard design.
What it was for
The ThinkPad became the default corporate laptop — developers carried them between meetings, VPNVirtual private network — an encrypted tunnel over a public network.'d into UnixAn influential multitasking OS from the 1970s — files, pipes, and C shaped Linux, macOS, and BSD. servers, and ran early Windows IDEs. The TrackPoint and durable magnesium shell set expectations for business portables. Lenovo later acquired the line, but the 700C defined what a serious laptop looked like.
Companies
- IBM
Why it's here
The ThinkPad 700C established the design language and build quality of business laptops.
Why it mattered
It made portable computing standard for enterprise developers and road warriors.
What it solved
Business travelers needed a rugged, full-featured laptop that could replace a desktop on the road.
Media
- ImageThinkPad Laptops Graph V1
ThisIsNotABetter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia
Related
- IBM PC 5150 releasedAugust 12, 1981
- IBM PC XT releasedMarch 1983
- Apple PowerBook releasedOctober 1991