Asianometry: Toshiba’s Breakthrough Laptop PC

Host: Jon Y
Date: January 25, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jon Y delves into the technological and corporate saga behind the Toshiba T1100—widely considered the first commercially successful laptop in a modern sense. He recounts Toshiba's journey in the context of broader portable computing history, examining the challenges they overcame to fuse portability, IBM compatibility, and genuine utility in a single device. Listeners are treated to stories of clandestine engineering, dogged salesmanship, and the post-launch arms race that defined the evolution of early laptops.

1. Early Portable Computing: Palmtops and Luggables

[00:02 – 05:20]

• Two Early Categories:
  • Palmtops: Tiny, battery-powered, extremely portable but limited by power and compatibility.
    • Epson HX20 ("first handheld computer," 50-hour battery, 250,000 units sold)
    • TRS-80 Model 100 (popular with journalists, $800 or ~$2,700 today)
  • Luggables: Heavy, often 12kg+, plugged into wall power, more functional but not really mobile.
    • Osborne 1 (CP/M 2.2, "looks nothing like the laptops of today, resembles more a chonk field radio than a computer" [02:29])
    • Compaq Portable (1983, IBM PC compatible—vital for broad adoption)
• Key Limitation: Early portables either sacrificed power for portability or vice versa—no happy medium.

Notable Quote

"But size and power issues placed heavy limitations ... real business people refused to adopt them unless they were somewhat compatible with the IBM PC ecosystem."
— Jon Y [03:09]

2. Toshiba’s Pre-Laptop Struggles

[05:21 – 09:45]

• Inspiration from Alan Kay:
  • Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Toshiba) is inspired by Kay’s "personal Dynamic Media"/Dynabook concept to pursue a truly portable PC.
• Early Failures:
  • Passopia (desktop, Zilog Z80) fails to compete with NEC in Japan.
  • Passopia 7 aims at enthusiasts but also fails.
• Turning Point:
  • Company nearly exits PCs but is convinced to try OEM manufacturing instead.

Notable Quote

"... but during his travels, he writes a report to his bosses about producing a small IBM compatible computer that can fold up and sit on a desk."
— Jon Y on Keiichi Hataya’s vision [07:23]

3. The Creation of the T1100

[09:45 – 18:00]

• Secret R&D:
  • Management won’t fund new PC projects, so Mizuguchi and GM Masaichi Koga divert resources from military contracts.
  • “Heaven is high and the emperor is far away” (Chinese phrase explaining their autonomy) [09:45].
• Prototype Completed:
  • August 1984: Lightweight (4.1kg), folding LCD, IBM compatible.
  • Atsutoshi Nishida (European sales) recognizes its potential, promises 10,000 sales if prototypes are made.

Notable Quote

"I will commit to sell 10,000 units the first year."
— Atsutoshi Nishida to Toshiba HQ [14:15]

4. Overcoming Software & Market Hurdles

[18:00 – 22:30]

• Disk Format Dilemma:
  • T1100 uses 3.5-inch floppies vs. industry standard 5.25-inch—risks software incompatibility.
• Persistence Pays Off:
  • Nishida repeatedly visits Lotus in London to request Lotus 1-2-3 on 3.5-inch disks.
    • "By my fourth visit, he was fed up ... the man migrated Lotus 123 to 3.5-inch floppy disks. It worked perfectly." — Nishida recollection [20:35]
  • Ashton Tate (dBase) quickly follows suit.

Notable Quote

"Getting the popular Microsoft flight simulator program to work was said to have been particularly tricky."
— Jon Y [21:50]

5. Launch, Reception, and Impact

[22:31 – 29:00]

• First Unveiled:
  • Microcomputer Trade Fair, Germany, January 1985. Strong immediate response.
• Critical Praise:
  • Reviewers highlight thinness, robust features and true IBM compatibility.
  • Gareth Powell (Australia, 1985):

    "The Toshiba T1100 is revolutionary in a quiet way... It is the way these components have been assembled and the way in which the machine will be used which makes it revolutionary." [24:45]

  • Corporate impact: Allowed business execs to "take their work home", sparing long hours at the office.
• Sales Success:
  • American debut at Comdex, Nov 1985; released in 1986.
  • Missed 10,000-unit sales goal by just 230, recovered quickly.

6. The Laptop Arms Race

[29:01 – 33:50]

• Competitors Emerge:
  • Compaq Portable II (not a laptop until 1988), Zenith Z181 (first blue LCD backlight), IBM Convertible (expensive, hard to sell).
• Toshiba Expands Lineup:
  • Addressed T1100’s screen complaints with gas plasma displays (T3100), added hard disk—a first in laptops.
  • Variants like T2100 did well in Europe/Australia but not US.
• Criticism:
  • Backwards function key layout led to amusing complaints.

7. The Toshiba T1000 & Market Domination

[33:51 – 38:30]

• Trade Tariff Dodge:
  • US tariffs in 1987 prompt Toshiba to use a "16-bit" CPU on an 8-bit bus to avoid duty (ingenious loophole).
• The T1000:
  • Smallest MS-DOS laptop at the time (2.9 kg), 5-hour battery, many ports, affordable at $1,200.
  • "MacBook Air of its day."
  • Highly acclaimed; PC World later names it 17th best PC of all time.
  • By 1987-1988, Toshiba controls up to 40% of laptop markets in US/Europe.

Notable Quote

"A reviewer at Byte magazine said it was the first laptop that he's seen to be better for writing than the old Tandy Model 100."
— Jon Y [37:15]

8. The Dynabook Dream

[38:31 – 43:00]

• Back to the Vision:
  • Mizuguchi and Toshiba aim to finally realize the Dynabook: ultra-portable, A4-sized, instant start, under 3kg, under 200,000 yen.
  • Famous prototyping anecdote: dunking the prototype in water to prove it could be thinner.
• Launch & Legacy:
  • Dynabook J3100 introduced June 6, 1989, acclaimed for pushing limits.
  • Alan Kay even visits and signs units, but describes it as "not a real Dynabook" because it ran MS-DOS.

Notable Quote

"There was still space left to cut."
— Prototype dunk anecdote [41:25]

9. From Market Leadership to Decline

[43:01 – 45:15]

• 1990s: Toshiba leads in battery life, size, build quality, selling their 10 millionth unit by 1997.
• Decline:
  • Competitive pressure from HP/Dell (consumers) and IBM/Lenovo (enterprise) outpace Toshiba’s slower reaction and price struggles.
• Exit:
  • Sells Dynabook division to Sharp/Foxconn in 2018, completes PC exit in 2020.

10. Lasting Impact

[45:16 – End]

• The T1100 and its successors didn’t just succeed commercially—they proved the clamshell laptop’s viability, elevated Toshiba’s status, and set performance/portability standards for years to come.
• Final Reflection:

  "They can be proud of their impact in electronics history."
  — Jon Y [45:45]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the palmtop/luggable divide:

  "No, not lunchables." — Jon Y's dry humor [02:19]

• On “Heaven is high and the emperor is far away”:
  • A sly nod to how Toshiba’s OME factory’s distance from HQ allowed a rogue engineering project to flourish [09:46].
• On trade cleverly avoided:

  "Toshiba cleverly exploited a loophole..." [35:10]

• On the function keys:

  "That is indeed demented." — Jon Y on the backwards keys [32:22]

Key Timestamps

• 00:02 — Introduction; market before the laptop
• 09:45 — Secret development in OME, Japan
• 14:15 — Nishida vows to sell 10,000 laptops
• 20:35 — Lotus 1-2-3 finally ported to 3.5-inch floppy
• 24:45 — "Revolutionary in a quiet way" — Gareth Powell
• 33:51 — Tariffs, the T1000, and Toshiba’s market dominance
• 41:25 — The “bucket of water” prototype anecdote
• 45:16 — Reflections on legacy

Tone

Jon’s delivery is conversational, dryly humorous, and gently reverent toward engineering ingenuity. His enthusiasm for the people and innovations behind the machines brings out the drama and human quirks from what could otherwise be a dry tech history, making the story of the T1100 feel like a saga of vision, risk, and persistence.