The idea of a small portable computer goes back to the 1960s, and designs were put forward from that time at least. Identifying the first real 'laptop' is tricky because there were so many stages on the way, but one man in particular is often credited with creating the laptop: UK designer Bill Moggridge, who designed the Grid Compass, which appeared in 1982.

It was developed by the Grid Systems Corporation (the name is sometimes written as GRiD with a small 'i'), one of the first of the IT companies that made Silicon Valley what it is today. The Grid Compass 1100 was used by NASA on space flights in the 1980s, but it was too expenive and specialised to be good for the mass market. It would be some time before a laptop appeared that was cheap and simple enough for general use.