Late reply, but reading the WP article, I don’t think we would really call this a “computer” these days (or even by 70’s standards), but more of a smart terminal. One might also call it a kind of advanced typewriter that was able to connect to a mainframe in order to upload a single article. Not disputing the section you pasted, but moreso adding on.
Am I nitpicking terms here? Possibly, but actual portable computers were introduced around these same years, and obviously were a historic advance.
The first commercially sold portable computer might be the 20-pound (9.1 kg) MCM/70, released 1974. The next major portables were the 50-pound (23 kg) IBM 5100 (1975)…
“Word processor” is a good term. Specifically, these were made so that reporters could quickly work up articles from on-site news locales, then send them in to the newspaper office.
![[Thread] Teleram P-1800 // portable computer (US, 1974)](https://files.catbox.moe/qtagql.jpg){kind=link}
Late reply, but reading the WP article, I don’t think we would really call this a “computer” these days (or even by 70’s standards), but more of a smart terminal. One might also call it a kind of advanced typewriter that was able to connect to a mainframe in order to upload a single article. Not disputing the section you pasted, but moreso adding on.
Am I nitpicking terms here? Possibly, but actual portable computers were introduced around these same years, and obviously were a historic advance.
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Yeah another term for this could be a word processor (like the old school ones that were kinda smart typewriters with floppy disks on the side).
But instead of outputting through built-in printer, it spits out the output to a minicomputer (I’m assuming at the time).
“Word processor” is a good term. Specifically, these were made so that reporters could quickly work up articles from on-site news locales, then send them in to the newspaper office.