The Dot (computer) explained

The Dot was a portable computer released by Computer Devices, Inc. in April 1983.

Specifications

The 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

The Dot was announced in fall 1982 and released in April 1983, the company establishing a national dealer network the month prior to release.[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.

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. Unlike Osborne, however, Computer Devices was able to survive their bankruptcy and continue into the next decade, albeit making a pivot into software development for specialized applications.[10] The company eventually dissolved in October 1998.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Staff writer . November 1982 . Portable microcomputer . Infosystems . Reed Business Information . 29 . 11 . 86 . the Internet Archive.
  2. Haggerty . C. . March 14, 1983 . Computer Devices Launches Network to Distribute New Portable Computer . Computer Systems News . UBM LLC . 115 . 80 . Gale.
  3. Staff writer . October 20, 1982 . Lyle's Computer Devices Leapfrogs into Systems . Electronics . Endeavor Business Media . 55 . 15 . Gale.
  4. Staff writer . November 2, 1983 . Computer Devices: Its Chapter 11 Step . The New York Times . D5 . https://archive.today/20230202051725/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/02/business/computer-devices-its-chapter-11-step.html . February 2, 2023. .
  5. Solomon . Abby . June 1984 . Gone, But Not Forgotten . Inc. . Mansueto Ventures . 6 . 166 . Gale . https://archive.today/20230202051731/https://www.inc.com/magazine/19840601/9531.html . February 2, 2023.
  6. Sandler . Corey . December 1983 . The Prognosticators Pronounce: Future Complications on the PC . PC Magazine . Ziff-Davis . 2 . 7 . 248–257 . Google Books.
  7. McWilliams . G. . August 1, 1983 . Comp. Devices Lays Off 83 to Counter Projected Loss . Electronic News . Sage Publications . 29 . 1456 . 21 . Gale.
  8. Staff writer . November 1983 . Smaller Computer Devices . Portable Computer . McGraw-Hill . 1 . 5 . 13 . Gale.
  9. Kranish . Michael . February 20, 1986 . Computer Devices' reorganization OK'd . The Boston Globe . 63 . Newspapers.com.
  10. Staff writer . January 27, 1989 . Computer Devices acquires firm . The Boston Globe . 24 . Gale.
  11. Web site: October 2, 1998 . Computer Devices Announces Change in Business Strategy, Suspends Internal Operations . PR Newswire . ProQuest.