New Display - Converging Design: Portable Productivity

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

If you were to ask a few people what a portable computer looks like, you’d likely get very similar answers. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones all have similar designs, with sleek forms and similar sizes, but this wasn’t always the case. At the time when portable computing was a new idea, there was no blueprint for what it should look like. So how did we go from chunky desktop computers to thin clamshell designs?

This display highlights some interesting designs of portable computers from the '80s to early '90s.

You can visit the display on the second floor of DC by following the map below, or browse the virtual exhibit!