The Morrow Pivot II, released in May 1985, was a portable
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tech ...
100% compatible with IBM PC Software. It was designed by Norman Towson and Micheal Stolowitz, and manufactured by
Morrow Designs
Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English
Morrow may also refer to:
Places in the United States and Canada United States
* Morrow, Arkansas
*Morrow, Georgia
*Morrow, Louisiana
*Morro ...
- based on the Pivot designed by Vadem Corp. With one drive, 256 KB RAM, and a monochrome backlit
LCD
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers. Liquid crystals do not emit light directly but i ...
, the Pivot II had a list price of US$1,995.
The Morrow Pivot II included one or two 5-1/4" floppy drives. This machine was in a vertical configuration with a fold down keyboard. This was called a "lunch box" style unlike the typical laptop today. The only external component was a single AC adapter. It would have been a little top heavy except for the large Panasonic camcorder battery loaded into its base.
The Pivot II design was licensed to
Zenith Data Systems
Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) was a division of Zenith Electronics founded in 1979 after Zenith acquired the Heath Company, which had entered the personal computer market in 1977. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Zenith sold personal compu ...
for $2M and sold as the Zenith Z-171; Zenith sold over $500M to the US government, many to the Internal Revenue Service. The IBM-compatible Pivot was Morrow's first non-Z80 machine. While modern laptops don't share its design, it was arguably the most practical machine until desktops embraced 3-1/2" floppies. Robert Dilworth went from being General Manager of Morrow Designs to being CEO of Zenith Data Systems for years as part of Zenith's paying him to talk George Morrow into licensing the Pivot to them.
Osborne Computer Corporation
The Osborne Computer Corporation (OCC) was a pioneering maker of portable computers. It was located in the Silicon Valley of the southern San Francisco Bay Area in California.George Morrow