The first product, the Kaypro II, carried the Roman-numeral designation because the most popular microcomputer at the time, other than the IBM PC, was the Apple II. The Kaypro II was designed to be portable like the Osborne. When laptop computers became available, the larger machines came to be called transportable or luggable, rather than portable. Set in an aluminium case, it weighed 26 pounds (11.8 kilograms) and was equipped with a Zilog Z80 microprocessor, 64 kibibytes of RAM, and two 5¼-inch double-density floppy-disk drives. It ran on the CP/M operating system of Digital Research, Inc., and sold for about US$1,795.00.

By mid-1983, Kaypro had dropped the price to $1,595, and was selling more than 10,000 units a month—briefly making it the fifth-largest computer maker in the world. The Kaypro II's market success was due to a number of factors: it had a larger screen than the Osborne; it came bundled with third-party application software (PerfectWriter and PerfectCalc, later to be replaced by MicroPro's WordStar and CalcStar); and it was supported by a network of trained dealers. The boxy units were so popular that they spawned a network of hobbyist user groups across the United States that provided local support for Kaypro products. Kaypro's success contributed to the eventual failure of the Osborne Computer Corporation.

Manufacturer: Kaypro
Date: 1st March 1982

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH1612. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.

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