Sharp PC-7000

Last updated
Sharp PC-7000
Logo of the Sharp Corporation.svg
Sharp PC-7000 keyboard out powered on.jpg
Sharp PC-7000 running a GW-BASIC program
Developer
ManufacturerSharp Electronics
Type Luggable portable computer
GenerationFirst
Release dateOctober 1985;38 years ago (1985-10)
LifespanOct. 1985 - 1990 (at least 4 years)
Discontinued1990;34 years ago (1990)
Units soldHundreds of thousands
MediaTwo 5.25-in 360 KB floppy drives
Operating system MS-DOS 2.11
CPU Intel 8086 at 4.77 or 7.37 MHz
Memory384 KB standard (320 KB usable)
704 KB with expansion card (640 KB usable)
Storage10 MB hard disk drive (optional with expansion unit)
Display10.5 in (2.1:1 aspect ratio) super-twisted nematic LCD
Power120/220 V AC
Dimensions16 in × 8.5 in × 6 in (41 cm × 22 cm × 15 cm)
Mass19 pounds (8.6 kg)
Predecessor Sharp PC-5000
Successor Sharp PC-7000A

The Sharp PC-7000 is a luggable portable computer released by Sharp Electronics in 1985. The PC-7000 was Sharp's second entry into the IBM PC-compatible portable computer market, their first being the PC-5000.

Contents

The PC-7000 eschewed the PC-5000's clamshell design, battery operation, and lighter weight—19 pounds (8.6 kg) for the PC-7000 versus the PC-5000's 11 pounds (5.0 kg). The compromise was an LCD display with electroluminescent backlighting, as well as an increased display line count—25 for the PC-7000 versus the PC-5000's eight. Sharp also replaced the predecessor's Intel 8088 processor with an 8086 running at a user-switchable 7.37 MHz and bumped the stock memory from 128 to 320 KB. These improvements led to higher performance and near-true IBM PC compatibility, in turn leading to a wider range of software that could be used with the computer. [1]

Sharp released the PC-7000 in October 1985 to high praise. It spawned a series of luggable computers featuring improvements to the original PC-7000's hardware. Sharp sold hundreds of thousands of units under this series—including the original—over the years, before discontinuing it in 1990.

Specifications

Construction

The Sharp PC-7000's case sports the luggable form factor for portable computers; journalists compared it to a portable radio, [2] a toaster, [3] and a lunchbox. Its keyboard detaches from the display and serves as protection of the latter. [4] The computer's case measures 16 by 8.5 by 6 inches (41 by 22 by 15 cm) and weighs almost 19 pounds (8.6 kg). [5] The computer's chassis was fabricated from steel and provides much of the weight. [6]

The PC-7000's dimensions, when closed, were compliant with the contemporaneously revised restrictions on carry-on luggage set by the Federal Aviation Administration. The same was true even with the computer's optional printer attached. To further assist travelers, Sharp offered a carrying case through mail order. [7]

Components

On the right side of the Sharp PC-7000 are two half-height, [5] 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, mounted vertically and with shock absorption. [8] These drives were manufactured by Canon and were designed as one piece, making it impossible to replace the unit with a hard disk drive while retaining one of the original floppy disk drives. [5] On the back of the computer are ports for parallel and RS-232 serial. Additional ports for RGBA video output and an internal modem—should these parts have been ordered—are also located on the back. [2]

The PC-7000 uses an Intel 8086 processor, by default running at clock speed of 7.37 MHz, switchable to the IBM PC standard 4.77 MHz. [2] A stock PC-7000 comes with 384 KB of RAM, only 320 KB of which is available to the user. Sharp offered through mail order a memory expansion card which increases the RAM to 704 KB with 640 KB available to the user. [9] A socket for a 8087 coprocessor is included on the mainboard. [6]

The PC-7000's display measures 10.5 inches (27 cm) diagonally with an aspect ratio of 2.1:1. [5] Its display resolution is 640 by 200 pixels, making it compatible with up to the CGA standard only. [9] The portable computer was one of the first to adopt electroluminescent backlighting, at a time when most other LCD screens on portable computer monitors relied on large amounts of ambient lighting for visibility. [10] To further increase this visibility among its competitors, the PC-7000's display can be tilted at angles of 5, 10, and 15 degrees, [2] to accommodate for the user's display contrast preference. [11] Sharp measured the display's half-life at 1,000 hours, at which point the display will lose half its brightness. The display is removable, and Sharp provided replacement displays through mail order for US$49(equivalent to $130 in 2022). Sharp also provided the option to replace the default white backlighting element with a green element. [11]

Sharp included a BIOS setup utility in ROM, allowing the user to set the time and date of the computer's internal clock and calendar; to invert the display's colors; and to switch between clock speeds, among other parameters. [12] In addition, the user can adjust the backlighting intensity through this utility, as well as the duration of time after which the backlighting shuts off while the computer remains idle. These latter two settings preserve the life of the backlighting: when the backlighting is shut off, a lamp illuminates an indicator on the panel to the right of the screen. [5] An internal fan keeps the power supply cool. [6]

Expansion

Along with the aforementioned 8087 coprocessor and RAM expansion options, users could also have ordered a proprietary video card allowing them to hook up an external monitor with RGBA input to the computer. [5] A Hayes-compatible internal modem operating at 300 or 1200 baud was another option, as was an expansion unit that provided a 10 MB hard drive and three ISA expansion slots. [2]

Yet another option was a thermal-transfer printer, named the CE-700P, that clips onto the bottom of the computer and connects to its parallel port. The CE-700P is capable of printing graphics at 480 dpi as well as onto transparency foil directly, [13] as well as normal printer paper. [14] The printer also supports landscape orientation and multiple typefaces. [7]

Development and release

The Hiroshima factory of Sharp Electronics Sharp Hiroshima Plant.jpg
The Hiroshima factory of Sharp Electronics

Designing the PC-7000 was a joint effort from Sharp Electronics and Vadem, an original design manufacturer based in San Jose. [15] Final manufacturing was done by Sharp in Japan. Later revisions of the computer, starting in 1988, were manufactured in the United States in Memphis, in a factory that also produced Sharp's television sets and microwave ovens. [16]

Sharp released the PC-7000 in October 1985. [17] The company had previously revealed the PC-7000 in July that year, at a trade show hosted by the National Office Machine Dealers Association, in Las Vegas. [1] The PC-7000 initially competed with heavier luggable portable computers such as Compaq's Portable 286 and Panasonic's Executive Partner—the latter two weighing almost 28 pounds (13 kg). [18] It later competed with IBM's first laptop computer, the PC Convertible; Compaq's slimmed-down version of the Portable 286, the Portable II; and Toshiba's first IBM PC-compatible laptop computer, the T1100, among other portable computers. [19] Its initial cost in the United States was $1,795 ($4,884 in 2017). [20] Betsy Staples, editor of Creative Computing , predicted that its sub-$2000 price would make its future "rosy" in the PC clone market. [21]

Reception

The IBM PC Convertible, a competitor to the PC-7000 Home computer portatile - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 14618.jpg
The IBM PC Convertible, a competitor to the PC-7000

The PC-7000 received high praise on release, with Sharp selling hundreds of thousands of units—this figure including sales of later models—globally over the years. [22] George Brett, a journalist for the Toronto Star , preferred the Sharp PC-7000 over IBM's PC Convertible for retaining the then-widespread 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, costing less in its stock configuration while also having more memory, and backlighting the display. In comparison, Brett found IBM's adoption of 3.5-inch floppy disk drives as the exclusive media format of the Convertible poorly conceived and its display unreadable. [23] Michael Heck, a freelance writer for Pico's Journal of Briefcase Computing found the PC-7000's size unobtrusive and its 19-pound weight fair for its capabilities over other portable computers. He ultimately praised the computer's communications support, near-full IBM PC compatibility, and display. [24]

Phil Casella, a software developer and an InfoWorld writer, called the PC-7000 well-performing, easy to use, to set up, and to service, and rated it a good value. In particular, Casella praised the computer's sturdy construction and case design and defined the display as "one of the best" LCDs his magazine staff had seen at the time of his review. [25] Alfred Poor, a freelance writer for PC Magazine , also praised the construction and display, [26] while holding reservation with the keyboard's lack of tactile feedback and moderate heft of the entire computer. Fellow PC Magazine writer Bill Machrone felt that the physical dimensions of the PC-7000 sat awkwardly between IBM's lightweight PC Convertible and Compaq's heavy but full-featured Portable II. Machrone also found fault with the LCD's weak contrast. [6]

Legacy

From its introduction in 1985, the PC-7000's praise and steady sales encouraged the increased use of LCDs in portable computers. [27]

The original PC-7000 gave way to subsequent models—the PC-7000A, the PC-7100, [28] the PC-7201, the PC-7221, [29] and the PC-7241 [30] —all of which retain the luggable form factor. This series of portable computers was discontinued in around 1990. [31]

An original PC-7000 is housed in the Rhode Island Computer Museum. [32]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Foster 1985, p. 22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Casella 1986, p. 63.
  3. ↑ Suplee 1987, p. B5.
  4. ↑ Heck 1986, p. 13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Poor & Machrone 1986, p. 134.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Poor & Machrone 1986, p. 135.
  7. 1 2 Mathur 1986, p. 85.
  8. ↑ Casella 1986, p. 63; Poor & Machrone 1986, p. 135.
  9. 1 2 Poor & Machrone 1986, p. 130.
  10. ↑ Somerson 1986, p. 122.
  11. 1 2 Poor & Machrone 1986, p. 132.
  12. ↑ Casella 1986, pp. 63–64.
  13. ↑ Staff writer 1986, p. 107.
  14. ↑ Staff writer 1985, p. 9.
  15. ↑ Alpdemir 1997.
  16. ↑ Ovechka 1989, p. 26.
  17. ↑ Barker & Nadeau 1985, p. 395.
  18. ↑ Casella 1986, p. 63; Staples 1985, p. 6.
  19. ↑ Machrone 1986, p. 108.
  20. ↑ Goyens 1985, p. J7.
  21. ↑ Staples 1985, p. 6.
  22. ↑ Staff writer 1987a, p. 20; Staff writer 1987b, p. vi; Matthews 1988, p. 31.
  23. ↑ Brett 1986, p. F4.
  24. ↑ Heck 1986, p. 21.
  25. ↑ Casella 1986, p. 64.
  26. ↑ Poor & Machrone 1986, pp. 132, 135.
  27. ↑ Anderson 2005, p. 10.
  28. ↑ Staff writer 1987c, p. 19.
  29. ↑ Spiegelman 1987, p. 8.
  30. ↑ Chalmers & Douglas 1988, p. 58.
  31. ↑ Ovodow 1990, p. 422.
  32. ↑ Rhode Island Computer Museum.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM PC Convertible</span> 1986 laptop computer by IBM

The IBM PC Convertible is a laptop computer made by IBM, first sold in April 1986. The Convertible was IBM's first laptop-style computer, following the luggable IBM Portable, and introduced the 3½-inch floppy disk format to the IBM product line. Like modern laptops, it featured power management and the ability to run from batteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compaq LTE</span> Line of laptop computers

The LTE is a line of laptops manufactured by Compaq Computer Corporation, introduced in 1989 and discontinued in 1997. It was the first notebook-sized laptop sold by Compaq and the first commercially successful notebook computer, helping launch the burgeoning industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp PC-5000</span> Laptop computer

The Sharp PC-5000 was a pioneering laptop computer, announced by Sharp Corporation of Japan in November 1983. It employed a clamshell design in which the display closes over the keyboard, like the earlier GRiD Compass and contemporary Gavilan SC.

Bondwell Industrial Co. Inc. was a US and Hong Kong manufacturer of personal computers during the 1980s (1981-1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NEC ProSpeed</span>

The ProSpeed was a line of laptop computers developed by NEC in 1988. It was introduced simultaneously with their slimmer and less heavy UltraLite line of notebook computers. The i386SX-equipped CSX model, released in September 1989, was the first laptop with a color LCD. It was also one of the first laptops with to be offered with a docking station. The CSX model was featured on the front cover of PC Magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Computer and Peripheral</span> American computer company

American Computer & Peripheral, Inc. (AC&P), also written as American Computer and Peripheral, was an American computer company based in Santa Ana, California. The company was founded in 1985 by Alan Lau and released several expansion boards for the IBM PC as well as a few PC clones before going bankrupt in December 1989. Obscure in its own time, the company's 386 Translator was the first plug-in board for Intel's newly released 80386 processor and the first mass-market computing device to offer consumers a means of using the 386 in July 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabbit 286</span> 1988 portable computer by Chicony Electronics

The Rabbit 286 is a portable computer manufactured by Chicony Electronics starting in 1988. The computer featured an Intel 80286 clocked at 12 MHz and was available in three models, the most expensive having a 20-MB hard disk drive. The Rabbit 286, which was Chicony's first computer system, was released worldwide in April 1988. Chicony sold a bare-bones version of the computer without motherboard, which saw widespread use among systems integrators and original equipment manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epson ActionNote</span> Series of laptop computers

The ActionNote was a series of laptop computers developed by Epson America in 1993. The series was Epson's answer to the small businesses and home office market for laptops and initially ran alongside their corporate-oriented NB series of laptops. The series was segmented into premium and low-cost offerings and included a subnotebook, the ActionNote 4000. The bulk of the laptops' manufacturing was performed by ASE Technologies of Taiwan, with the exception of the short-lived initial entries into the 700 series, which were produced by Jabil Circuit. The ActionNote received mixed, mostly positive, reception in its lifespan before Epson America silently left the personal computer market in 1996.

The PB286LP, released in 1989, was Packard Bell's first laptop computer. The laptop featured an 80C286 processor clocked at 12 MHz and 1 MB of RAM, along with a single ISA expansion slot. Packard Bell released the PB286LP in 1989 among a slew of products aimed at the corporate market. Technology writers gave it mostly positive reviews, although some noted its 16-lb weight as hefty and its monochrome LCD as somewhat flawed. Originally only capable of CGA-mode graphics, the laptop was updated in 1990 to support VGA. Packard Bell discontinued the PB286LP in 1991, in favor of more-compact, notebook-sized computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp PC-4500</span> 1987 laptop computer by Sharp Electronics

The Sharp PC-4500 is a line of laptop computers released by Sharp Corporation in 1987. The line comprises the PC-4501, the PC-4502, and the PC-4521. The PC-4501 is a bare-bones unit with only 256 KB of RAM stock, only one floppy drive, no backlighting, and no built-in numeric keypad; the PC-4502 and PC-4521 bumps the stock RAM to 640 KB and includes the latter two features while providing either two floppy drive (PC-4502) or one floppy drive and a 20 MB hard drive (PC-4521). Prices on the line initially ranged from $1,295 to just under $3,000; the PC-4501 was later sold for $995, becoming one of the first sub-$1,000 laptops available on the market. The PC-4500 line received mixed, mostly positive, reviews on its release in September 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenith SupersPort</span> Line of PC-compatible laptops

The SupersPort is a line of PC-compatible laptops manufactured by Zenith Data Systems and sold from 1988 to 1993. The first two main entries in the SupersPort line included either an Intel 80286 microprocessor clocked at 12 MHz or an 8088 processor clocked at 8 or 4.77 MHz, switchable. Later entries included the 386SX, 486SX and 486 processors. The SupersPort 286 in particular was one of the top-selling laptops of the late 1980s, although Zenith's position in this segment faltered by the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Senior Partner</span> 1984 IBM-compatible portable computer

The Senior Partner is an IBM PC-compatible portable computer that was introduced by the Panasonic Corporation in 1984. Weighing roughly 31 pounds (14 kg) in its base configuration, the computer came equipped with a cathode-ray tube display and a built-in thermal printer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Executive Partner</span> 1985 IBM-compatible portable computer

The Executive Partner is an IBM PC-compatible portable computer that was introduced by the Panasonic Corporation in 1985. The portable computer is AC-powered exclusively, weighs between 28 and 30 pounds (14 kg), and features a built-in printer. The Executive Partner was one of the first affordable portable computers with a plasma display.

CoreCard Corporation is an American financial technology company based in Norcross, Georgia. Before 2021, the company was named Intelligent Systems Corporation and once sold portable computers, video terminals, expansion cards, and other peripherals through a variety of manufacturing subsidiaries. Founded in 1973, the company restructured as a master limited partnership in 1987, becoming Intelligent Systems Master Limited Partnership.

Quasar Data Products Inc. (QDP), later QDP Computer Systems Inc., was an American computer company based in 1979 in North Olmsted, Ohio, United States. The company was founded by Brian A. Catalucci and Dave L. Kelley, the former a trained engineer who had previously worked as an airline pilot.

The MAD-1 is an IBM PC–compatible desktop computer released by Mad Computers, Inc., of Santa Clara, California, in 1984. The computer was noted among the technology press for its unique, modular design and its 80186 microprocessor, the latter seldom used in PC compatibles. It received positive reviews but sold poorly and was pulled from market a year later.

Athena Computer & Electronic Systems was an American computer company active from 1982 to 1987 and based in San Juan Capistrano, California. It released an early laptop, the Athena 1, in 1983. The laptop was one of the first to make use of solid-state technology as its primary storage medium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Digital Corporation</span>

Advanced Digital Corporation (ADC) was a privately owned American computer company based in California, active from the 1980s to the 1990s. The company was founded by 1980 by a group of engineers, in order to market their single-user and multi-user expansion cards and peripherals for S-100–based computers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Data General Walkabout</span>

The Walkabout is a family of notebook-sized laptop computers introduced by Data General in 1989 and discontinued in 1993. The first entry in the line, simply named the Walkabout, was a battery-powered portable terminal capable of emulating multiple protocols; as well, it contains a rudimentary word processor, an autodialer utility for placing phone calls, and a real-time clock display and timer application for setting reminders. The successor to the first model, the Walkabout/SX, released in 1990, was an architectural redesign allowing the laptop to be used as a general-purpose IBM PC compatible. The penultimate entry, the Walkabout/320, increased its predecessor's i386SX processor clock speed from 16 MHz to 20 MHz, while the last entry in the line, the Walkabout/386SL, replaced the processor with Intel's portable-centric i386SL processor clocked at 25 MHz.

References

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.