On Friday, February 17th, 2017 the European auction site Catawiki Computer Collectibles auctioned off two vintage laptop computers: an Olivetti M-10 and a Tandy
Radio Shack Model 200. The two icons were auctioned with a difference of
74 euros.
Both laptops are icons of a time when portable computers were more lugables weighing about 10 kg. Around 1982 to 1984 light weight laptop computers arrived, ranging between 1.5 and 2 kg. From 1983 onwards the ultimate form for a laptop computer was sought. A family of laptop computers manufactured by Kyocera shows the development. The NEC 8201A and the Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 came on the market in Europe in 1983. They were later followed by the Olivetti M-10 and Tandy Radio Shack Model 200.
Above left: NEC 8201A (on loan from Hans van Nieuwkerk; photograph: Collection Jak Boumans); top right: Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 (computer and photograph: Collection
Jak Boumans), bottom left: Olivetti M-10 (Catawiki); below right: Tandy
Radio Shack Model 200 (Catawiki)
Both laptops are icons of a time when portable computers were more lugables weighing about 10 kg. Around 1982 to 1984 light weight laptop computers arrived, ranging between 1.5 and 2 kg. From 1983 onwards the ultimate form for a laptop computer was sought. A family of laptop computers manufactured by the Japanese Kyocera shows the development. The NEC 8201A and the Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 came on the market in Europe in 1983. They were later followed by the Olivetti M-10 and Tandy Radio Shack Model 200.
The case of the first two laptop computer had a keyboard on top and a 8-line screen.But in contrast to the NEC 8201A and Tandy Radio Shack Model 100,Italian manufacturer Olivetti ordered a model with a separate movable screen of 8-lines. The Tandy Radio Shack Model 200 however had a separate movable screen the size of the case, offering a 16-line screen. In this way the Tandy Radio Shack Model 200 became the prototype for the laptop.
At the auction there was a slight competition between a laptop computer design and a prototype laptop while basically the case was the same, be it different with memory specifications. The design laptop computer took only 26 euros at auction, while the Tandy Radio Shack Model 200 yielded 100 euros, while the auctioneer estimated the portable computer could fetch 50 to 260 euros.
It is amazing to see two vintage laptop computers, so iconic because of their movable screens, showed such a difference in price.
Both laptops are icons of a time when portable computers were more lugables weighing about 10 kg. Around 1982 to 1984 light weight laptop computers arrived, ranging between 1.5 and 2 kg. From 1983 onwards the ultimate form for a laptop computer was sought. A family of laptop computers manufactured by Kyocera shows the development. The NEC 8201A and the Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 came on the market in Europe in 1983. They were later followed by the Olivetti M-10 and Tandy Radio Shack Model 200.
Both laptops are icons of a time when portable computers were more lugables weighing about 10 kg. Around 1982 to 1984 light weight laptop computers arrived, ranging between 1.5 and 2 kg. From 1983 onwards the ultimate form for a laptop computer was sought. A family of laptop computers manufactured by the Japanese Kyocera shows the development. The NEC 8201A and the Tandy Radio Shack Model 100 came on the market in Europe in 1983. They were later followed by the Olivetti M-10 and Tandy Radio Shack Model 200.
The case of the first two laptop computer had a keyboard on top and a 8-line screen.But in contrast to the NEC 8201A and Tandy Radio Shack Model 100,Italian manufacturer Olivetti ordered a model with a separate movable screen of 8-lines. The Tandy Radio Shack Model 200 however had a separate movable screen the size of the case, offering a 16-line screen. In this way the Tandy Radio Shack Model 200 became the prototype for the laptop.
At the auction there was a slight competition between a laptop computer design and a prototype laptop while basically the case was the same, be it different with memory specifications. The design laptop computer took only 26 euros at auction, while the Tandy Radio Shack Model 200 yielded 100 euros, while the auctioneer estimated the portable computer could fetch 50 to 260 euros.
It is amazing to see two vintage laptop computers, so iconic because of their movable screens, showed such a difference in price.
