The ThinkPad 700C: IBM's Masterpiece in Portability

It’s late 1992, and the buzz at the office is all about the "black bento box" from IBM. For years, IBM portables were clunky, "luggable" machines or uninspiring "clamshells." But the ThinkPad 700C is a statement. Designed by Richard Sapper and inspired by a traditional Japanese lunch box, it’s sleek, sturdy, and unapologetically professional.

That Active-Matrix Screen

The first thing you notice is the screen. A 10.4-inch color TFT active-matrix display. It’s the largest and brightest screen on any laptop right now. Unlike the passive-matrix screens on cheaper portables that "wash out" when you move the cursor, the 700C is crisp and responsive. It makes running Windows 3.1 on the go a genuine pleasure rather than a chore.

The Red Dot (TrackPoint)

Then there’s the TrackPoint. While Apple is using a trackball, IBM has put a tiny red joystick right in the middle of the keyboard. It feels weird for the first ten minutes, but once you get the hang of it, you realize you never have to move your hands away from the home row. It’s a brilliant piece of engineering for a device with limited space.

Desktop Power in a Briefcase

With a 25MHz 486SLC processor and a 120MB hard drive, this machine isn't just for taking notes. I've seen our lead architect compiling entire C++ projects on it while waiting for his flight. It’s expensive—nearly $4,000—but for the first time, I feel like I could leave my desktop at the office and not feel hampered.

IBM has a winner here. I suspect this "ThinkPad" brand is going to be around for a very long time. I’ve already put in a request for one for our field engineers—it’s the first laptop I trust to survive a week on a construction site.