You wouldn’t necessarily call the HP-85 a portable computer, but the 20-pound case was definitely a huge step towards the laptops that HP sells today – and a sign of the easy upgradability you expect in desktop PCs today.These machines had modest performance, but considering it was 1980, people were more than willing to buy one for about $3,200.

As you may have guessed from the picture, the HP-85 personal computer was a totally self-contained, portable system for both technical professionals or the beginning small-computer user. The HP-85 was based on an 8-bit microprocessor and combined an alphanumeric keyboard, CRT screen, thermal printer tape drive unit, user read/write memory and a ROM operating system in one portable package. It had 32K ROM and 16K RAM.

In short, it was “Designed for Today and Tomorrow….whether you’re in science, engineering, industry or business.” The idea of an upgradable machine was a big selling point back then.

What else happened in 1980?

There were a number of advances – though you might not think some of them as life-changing – in 1980. I know a number of people who spent entire allowances on Pac-Man. In 1980, Pac-Man (a.k.a. Pakkuman in Japan) first gobbled pellets. Rubik’s Cube is first sold as a brain-bending toy.

And then there were some serious events. Mount St Helens blew its top in Washington State. Ronald Reagan got elected to office in Washington. Unfortunately, John Lennon was assassinated in Central Park. The USSR invaded afghanistan and the US protested by boycotting the 1980 Olympic Games. This is also the year CNN first introduced the 24-hour news cycle when it was first established in 1980.

Via:  h20435.www2.hp.com