IBM PC Convertible
| Description | |
| Manufacturer | International Business Machines, Inc. |
| Model | 5140 - PC Convertible |
| Date Announced | 1986 |
| Date Canceled | Unknown |
| Number Produced | Unknown |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Price | Roughly $2,000 base |
| Current Value | $10-$100 |
| Specifications | --- |
| Processor | Intel 80C88 |
| Speed | 4.77 MHz |
| RAM | 256-640K |
| ROM | Unknown |
| Storage | |
| Expansion | Add-on items ("slices") could be added to the back of the machine |
| Bus | N/A |
| Video | |
| I/O | Parallel, Serial |
| OS Options | PC-DOS |
| Notes | The IBM PC Convertible was IBMs first clamshell style laptop. It was a fairly advanced machine for IBM as it was their first use of Surface Mounted Devices (SMDs) on a production machine. It was, however, a bit behind the times in relation to its competition. While IBM was selling an 8088 based laptop with no hard drive, competitors were selling 80286 based laptops with optional hard drives and other features. The PC Convertible was the replacement for the IBM PC Portable which was a suitcase style PC similar to the Compaq Portable. |
| Related Items in Collection | Some manuals, other IBM PC related hardware including: Compaq Portable, IBM PC and IBM PC AT |
| Related Items Wanted | Additional manuals, software and peripherals. |
Building on the success of their PC, IBM introduced their first "real" Laptop, the IBM PC Convertible, in 1986. The machine is based upon a CMOS version of the 8088 that powered the original PC five years earlier. The machine includes 2 built-in 720K 3.5" floppy drives.
The PC Convertible is a heavy machine but it does fold up into a fairly small package complete with a built-in carrying handle.
The built-in LCD screen was capable of full CGA resolutions.
The PC Convertible in my collection came with several manuals.
The PC Convertible, like all early IBM PC machines came with a Guide to Operations - a.k.a. an instruction manual.