Have you ever wondered what portable computers were like before slim laptops, tablets and smartphones? As a tech professional fascinated by computing history, I‘m going to guide you through the trailblazing – but mostly forgotten – Xerox NoteTaker, one of the earliest integrated mobile PC designs that shifted expectations of what a computer could be.
What Was Revolutionary About the NoteTaker?
Developed in 1976 by Xerox‘s famed Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), the NoteTaker prototype delivered a complete portable office solution in a 48-pound suitcase-sized frame. For the era, this battery-powered "luggable" PC offered astounding capabilities:
NoteTaker Quick Specs
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 7-inch CRT, 640 x 480 resolution |
| Processor | 4MHz Intel 8086 CPU |
| Memory | 128kB RAM |
| Storage | Floppy disk drive |
| OS | Custom GUI with mouse input |
| connectivity | Ethernet, Modem |
| Peripherals | Keyboard, mouse, stylus |
| Audio | Internal speaker |
With advanced visuals, local storage, communication links and usability, the NoteTaker previewed hallmarks of modern mobile computing like laptops and smartphones. But packing all this power into a portable frame was unheard of in the 1970s. Most alternative systems relied on multiple interconnected devices.
So while 48 pounds seems hugely heavy now…
The Xerox Alto (left) pioneered the GUI concept but lacked portability compared to the NoteTaker (Photo: Digibarn Computer Museum)
…the NoteTaker‘s integrated, battery-powered mobility made it a breakthrough precursor to our laptops and mobile phones.
Building on Xerox PARC Innovations
The ambitious NoteTaker didn‘t materialize overnight. Instead, it benefited greatly from Xerox PARC‘s past pioneering work developing core computing technologies.
Project leader Dr. Douglas Fairbairn previously helped engineer groundbreaking concepts with the Alto personal computer system in 1973:
The Xerox Alto pioneered what we now consider standard desktop computing interfaces including windows, menus and a pointer-based GUI completely operated by mouse (Photo: Wikipedia)
The experimental Alto introduced what we now consider the standard graphical user interface (GUI) with windowed displays, file directories, scroll bars and full mouse operation. This replaced cumbersome typed text commands with intuitive visual interfaces – a paradigm shift toward modern user-friendly computing.
Beyond the Alto‘s software advances, PARC engineer Dr. Adele Goldberg cited even earlier inspiration for the NoteTaker‘s mobile priorities:
"The NoteTaker‘s hardware design followed in the footsteps of Alan Kay‘s Dynabook concept from the early 1970s."
Kay‘s influential Dynabook vision centered on a portable personal computer for non-technical users, especially children. While his ideas went unrealized at the time, the concept clearly paved the way for the NoteTaker‘s compact, integrated hardware all operated through simplified GUIs.
Overcoming Barriers: Costs, Components and Compromises
Developing such condensed computing power didn‘t come easy, even for PARC‘s specialized teams. Compressing the NoteTaker‘s technologies into portable form presented difficult tradeoffs.
Industry experts estimate the cutting-edge parts for an individual NoteTaker cost over $50,000 in 1976 – vastly expensive for potential business customers with typical machines costing one-tenth as much. Optionally adding peripherals like a modem, printer and memory expansion could balloon costs higher.
But beyond budget barriers, parts availability impacted progress. Custom tooling many NoteTaker components to conserve space meant relying on proprietary or immature solutions rather than mass market hardware.
Integrating the NoteTaker‘s features like CPU, RAM and disk drive required expensive, custom-designed circuit boards (Photo: Digibarn Computer Museum)
Engineer Larry Tesler recounted frustrating delays:
"We wanted the latest 4 MHz processor for the NoteTaker. But when we went to order the chips no one could supply that speed. We had to take older, slower chips."
Despite the extreme effort, only around 10 working NoteTaker prototypes were ever constructed. The exorbitant price doomed mainstream adoption. But influences on the computer industry proved dramatic nonetheless.
Inspiring the Future of Mobile Computing
While never reaching production as a commercial device, the NoteTaker had an immediate impact once competitors realized such portable power was now possible.
Within five years, innovators adapted goals from the NoteTaker for new "luggable" portable PCs:
Osborne 1 – Photo via Wikimedia Commons
The 1981 Osborne 1 – developed by ex-PARC employee Adam Osborne – captured much of the NoteTaker‘s spirit for about 25% the cost. Then Compaq matched functionality in an IBM PC-compatible portable model soon after.
These influenced an entire generation of portable computers through the 1980s and 90s until notebooks emerged. Eventually this evolution produced modern laptops, tablets and smartphones.
The NoteTaker Previewed Today‘s Mobile Tech
While it took decades for mass produced mobile PCs to achieve the NoteTaker‘s vision, its forward-looking feature set clearly foresaw – and inspired – many categories of technologies we now take for granted in our mobile devices:
- Display & Graphics – Crisp bitmapped CRT visuals previewed LCD and touchscreens
- Storage – Fast-access floppy disks presaged internal solid state memory
- Connectivity – Modem and Ethernet anticipated WiFi and cellular data
- Interface – Intuitive GUI design paved the way for touch and voice UIs
So even if few people interacted with a NoteTaker itself, the prototype‘s DNA provided a technical blueprint for our ubiquitous smartphones and computing appliances.
As one of history‘s earliest glimpses of our mobile computing future, the ambitious Xerox NoteTaker – despite minimal mainstream presence – deserves recognition for inspiring and informing technologiespowering modern productivity and creativity.
While purely academic at the time, the NoteTaker‘s feature set conspicuously aligned with long-held visions from pioneers like Alan Kay to transform computing into a convenient, everpresent ally for tasks large and small. Only via later breakthroughs accelerating power, portability and interface improvements could this dream fully convert from novelty to networked necessity.
But by expertly consolidating so much functionality into one battery-powered, user-friendly machine, the Xerox team‘s NoteTaker laid vital conceptual and technical foundations now enabling hundreds of millions to work and explore from nearly anywhere.
So even if few actually witnessed a NoteTaker boots up decades ago, anyone launching a smartphone, swiping a tablet, or hitting the road with a laptop has this little-known but pivotal portable pioneer to thank for first proving what compact computers could ultimately become.