The Dot was a portable computer released by Computer Devices, Inc. in April 1983.
Specifications
editThe Dot's primary microprocessor was an Intel 8088, although customers could have optionally purchased a Z80 expansion board that allowed it to run CP/M. It otherwise featured 32 KB of RAM stock (expandable to 704 KB); a 9-inch-wide, 5-inch-tall CRT monitor; and one 3.5-inch floppy disk drive (manufactured by Sony, inventors of that format). The computer was optioned with MS-DOS as a native operating system; a dual serial port card; a second 3.5-inch floppy drive; a thermal printer that attaches to the top of the computer; a 300/1200-baud modem; and an Intel 8087 floating-point co-processor. The video card supports rendering graphics at pixel resolutions of 640 by 200 or 1024 by 248, while the optional thermal printer can output 132-line text, for a perfect facsimile of the computer's text display mode.[1]
Release and market failure
editThe Dot was announced in fall 1982 and released in April 1983, the company establishing a national dealer network the month prior to release.[1][2] The Dot was intended to be the breakout microcomputer product for Computer Devices, Inc., who was previously a successful manufacturer of computer terminals based out of Burlington, Massachusetts.[3] Despite possessing the same Intel 8088 as the IBM PC as well as being shipped with MS-DOS (functionally equivalent to IBM's PC DOS), the Dot was not fully IBM PC compatible.[4] Demand for the Dot was low,[5] and by December 1983 only between 2,000 and 3,000 units had been sold.[6] Computer Devices announced two massive layoffs in the wake of the computer's failure and other complications in the company, the first in August 1983,[7] the second in October 1983.[8] Computer Devices filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the following month.[5]
The Dot's failure and Computer Device's bankruptcy were highly publicized at the time, as it came amid a slew of other concurrent bankruptcy filings from other high-tech companies[9]—not least of which was that of Osborne Computer Corporation, another portable computer manufacturer whose Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable computer ever made.[5] Unlike Osborne, however, Computer Devices was able to survive their bankruptcy and continue into the next decade,[9] albeit making a pivot into software development for specialized applications.[10] The company eventually dissolved in October 1998.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Staff writer (November 1982). "Portable microcomputer". Infosystems. 29 (11). Reed Business Information: 86 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Haggerty, C. (March 14, 1983). "Computer Devices Launches Network to Distribute New Portable Computer". Computer Systems News (115). UBM LLC: 80 – via Gale.
- ^ Staff writer (October 20, 1982). "Lyle's Computer Devices Leapfrogs into Systems". Electronics. 55. Endeavor Business Media: 15 – via Gale.
- ^ Staff writer (November 2, 1983). "Computer Devices: Its Chapter 11 Step". The New York Times: D5. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. ProQuest 424823928.
- ^ a b c Solomon, Abby (June 1984). "Gone, But Not Forgotten". Inc. 6. Mansueto Ventures: 166. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023 – via Gale.
- ^ Sandler, Corey (December 1983). "The Prognosticators Pronounce: Future Complications on the PC". PC Magazine. 2 (7). Ziff-Davis: 248–257 – via Google Books.
- ^ McWilliams, G. (August 1, 1983). "Comp. Devices Lays Off 83 to Counter Projected Loss". Electronic News. 29 (1456). Sage Publications: 21 – via Gale.
- ^ Staff writer (November 1983). "Smaller Computer Devices". Portable Computer. 1 (5). McGraw-Hill: 13 – via Gale.
- ^ a b Kranish, Michael (February 20, 1986). "Computer Devices' reorganization OK'd". The Boston Globe: 63 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff writer (January 27, 1989). "Computer Devices acquires firm". The Boston Globe: 24 – via Gale.
- ^ "Computer Devices Announces Change in Business Strategy, Suspends Internal Operations". PR Newswire. October 2, 1998 – via ProQuest.
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