NEC UltraLite
| Developer | NEC |
|---|---|
| Type | portable computer |
| Release date | October 1988 |
| Introductory price | US$4,000 to US$5,000 |
| Operating system | MS-DOS 3.3 |
| CPU | NEC V30 at 4.92Mhz and 8.14 MHz |
| Memory | 640k RAM |
| Display | Supertwist electroluminescent backlit 8.25x4.25 LCD screen |
| Graphics | CGA compatible, 320x200x4 or 640x200x2 |
| Connectivity | built-in 2400bit/s modem |
| Power | 12V |
| Weight | 4.4 lbs |
The NEC UltraLite was an MS-DOS-based portable computer in a "notebook" size.
PC Magazine featured the UltraLite on its cover in November 1988 and shortly thereafter journalists began referring to the A4 sized computer as a "notebook" to distinguish it from the larger and heavier laptops of the time.
The product was originally developed by an NEC Japan telecommunications engineering team that was trying to make an inexpensive lightweight terminal for programming PABX systems. In 1988, as NEC was trying to create products to update their best selling MultiSpeed, the NEC engineering team in charge of developing personal computers showed the UltraLite to a product management team from NEC Home Electronics USA.
Tom Martin, the Vice President in charge of the group, asked, "Can you make this thing run MS-DOS"? When an affirmative response was received, the NEC team knew they had a hit product on their hands.
The product was launched shortly before COMDEX in October 1988 at a gala event in New York City. It was applauded by the media, who were dying to find a small lightweight computing platform that could be used for note-taking and article writing. Unfortunately the publicity surrounding the UltraLite did not reflect itself in consumer demand. This was due to the UltraLite's two Achilles heels ... the lack of a hard drive which prevented storage of one's work (for more than a week or so without charging the internal RAM drive) and the use of a relatively slow 8086-compatible processor when the market was moving to the 80286 class. The main downside to the Ultralite (which weighed only 4 pounds) was its price. It sold for between 4 and 5 thousand dollars which was significantly higher than other, albeit heavier, less innovative, computers of the time. Given its use of the ram drive boot times were actually faster than 80386 class computers.
So although the UltraLite ushered in a new era in portable computing, its original design as a telecommunications maintenance terminal proved to be its commercial downfall. Commercial success in that product category was not achieved until Compaq launched its LTE brand nearly 12 months later.
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