The Osborne Executive (1984)

The Osborne Executive is one of the earliest portable computers and the one that, due to excessive pre-release information, contributed to the demise of Osborne Computer Corporation.

It's not usual to look at a vintage computer system that defines business terminology. The Osborne Effect describes a circumstance where a company releases too much information, too soon, on a new product. This pre-release can lead to the cannibalization of current sales and put the company out of business, as happened to Osborne Computer Corporation (OCC) in 1985.

“The Osborne Effect describes a circumstance where a company releases too much information, too soon, on a new product”

Features and Specifications

The Osborne Executive is an amazing vintage computer and it is truly a shame that it contributed to the failure of OCC. The Executive came with a large library of productivity software and a stellar feature set for its time.

Specifications

• Zilog Z80A processor at 4 MHz

• 124 Kb RAM (128K but 4K was reserved for paging)

• 8K ROM

• 7 Inch Amber CRT (80-Character x 24-lines)

• 2x 5 1/4" Floppy Drives (Half Height, 160 Kb)

Ports

• IEEE 488 Parallel Port

• 2x RS-232C Serial Ports

• Composite Monitor Out

Software

• CP/M+ - Operating System

• Wordstar 3.3 - Word Processor

• SuperCalc 1.12 - Spreadsheet

• Mailmerge (The snail mail kind)

• CBASIC 2 - Programming Language

• MBASIC - Microsoft BASIC Programming Language

• Personal Pearl - File Manager

• Tools Disk

Other Features

• The Keyboard attaches to case and allows for portability

• Switchable 110/220 volt power for travel flexibility

• Weight: 28 Pounds

• Size 20.5 x 9 x 13 Inches (WHD)