History of the original Compaq Portable, the 1982 suitcase-sized IBM PC clone

Compaq’s first computer was a suitcase-sized machine designed to bring the IBM PC’s capabilities beyond the desk. Founded in 1982 by former Texas Instruments employees, the company set out to make a portable computer that could run the growing library of IBM PC software. The Compaq Portable paired an Intel 8088 processor running at 4.77 MHz with 128 KB of memory, two 5.25-inch floppy drives, and a 9-inch monochrome screen. Its keyboard detached for transport, but the 28-pound computer had no battery and needed a power outlet. It sold for $2,995.

The central challenge was achieving compatibility without copying IBM’s copyrighted BIOS. Compaq engineers used a clean-room process to recreate the software interface, allowing the Portable to run IBM PC programs while using independently written code. Announced in 1982 and shipped in 1983, it demonstrated that a new company could build a reliable, compatible alternative to IBM’s computer. Its success helped establish Compaq and gave legitimacy to the market for IBM-compatible computers, which would grow rapidly as other manufacturers followed.