When where notebook computers introduced?

One of the first portable computers was developed not by any of the
major computer companies we know today but by Adam Osborne. Osborne
was a publisher of technical books when he introduced the Osborne
Portable Computer in 1981.

This computer had a small 5-inch CRT which displayed 52 characters
of text. Physically, it bares little resemblance to the notebook or
laptop computer of today but Osborne's heart was in the right
direction -- Osborne wanted a computer that would fit under an
airplane seat!

The Osborne sold for $1795 and did good business selling 10,000
units a month. However, other larger companies jumped on the bandwagon
- Most notably Compaq - and the Osborne computer company went
bankrupt in 1983.

The computer company Compaq, which gets it name from the Word 'compact'
introduced the first IBM Compatible computer in 1982.

You only have to look at the Stats of the Compaq Portable to see how far
notebook computers have advanced. Try getting your daily computer tasks
done on 4.77 MHz with 128k of RAM and a 320k floppy disk --- viewed on
a 9-inch monochrome screen. This Compaq Portable tipped the scales at 28 lbs!