IBM PC Portable
| Description | |
| Manufacturer | International Business Machines, Inc. |
| Model | 5155 - Portable PC |
| Date Announced | 1984 |
| Date Canceled | 1986 |
| Number Produced | Tens of Thousands |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Price | $4,000 and up |
| Current Value | $10-$100 |
| Specifications | --- |
| Processor | Intel 8088 |
| Speed | 4.77 MHz |
| RAM | 256-640K |
| ROM | Unknown |
| Storage | |
| Expansion | 7 slots of varying length, some used in the basic configuration. |
| Bus | ISA |
| Video | |
| I/O | Parallel, Serial |
| OS Options | DOS, CP/M-86 |
| Notes | The Portable PC was IBM's answer to Compaq who had cloned their PC and released it in a suitcase form factor a year earlier. The Portable PC was basically an XT in a portable case without the hard drive. |
| Related Items in Collection | Printer, manuals, some software, carrying case, Columbia VP, Compaq Portable |
| Related Items Wanted | None, at the moment |
The IBM Portable PC was IBM's answer to Compaq and their Portable. The IBM machine boasted 100% IBM compatibility, of course, whereas the Compaq couldn't quite get there (mainly because they couldn't put BASIC in ROM).
The IBM Portable PC was actually a tiny bit smaller then the Compaq and just a little less expensive. The competition spurred Compaq to produce some smaller, more powerful and less expensive machines.
Seen from the back the Portable PC has all of the ports and slots typical of an IBM XT.
The screen on the IBM PC Portable was one of its strong points. The bright amber display was both attractive and easy on the eyes. Just for fun I booted up DOS 1.0 on this portable (they typically shipped with 2.0 or later) to see how it looked.
The PC Portable was a transportable machine. This one came with the optional IBM carrying case made of sturdy blue canvas capable of holding the considerable weight of this machine.
System and associated items Donated by Michael Woo