The Model 5100 is IBM's first minicomputer, i.e. not a mainframe, and is also considered one of the world's first portable computers. It is preceded only by the Hewlett-Packard HP-9830A from 1973. Although at 55-pounds, the 5100 might best be described as "self-contained" rather than "portable".
There were very few other computers available at the time, and nothing even close to the capabilities of the 5100. It is a very complete system - with a keyboard, built-in data storage, and a full-screen display. It was also very expensive - up to US $20,000. It was specifically designed for professional and scientific problem-solvers, not business users or hobbyists.
Depending on options installed, the 5100 can run the APL and/or BASIC programming languages. Apparently, APL was a difficult task for IBM to accomplish with an interpreter in the 5100, so instead they wrote an emulation program so that the S/360 mainframe version of APL could be run instead -- The 5100 is like a desktop IBM S/360 mainframe computer which only runs APL.
There were very few other computers available at the time, and nothing even close to the capabilities of the 5100. It is a very complete system - with a keyboard, built-in data storage, and a full-screen display. It was also very expensive - up to US $20,000. It was specifically designed for professional and scientific problem-solvers, not business users or hobbyists.
Depending on options installed, the 5100 can run the APL and/or BASIC programming languages. Apparently, APL was a difficult task for IBM to accomplish with an interpreter in the 5100, so instead they wrote an emulation program so that the S/360 mainframe version of APL could be run instead -- The 5100 is like a desktop IBM S/360 mainframe computer which only runs APL.
They were all rather expensive:
Memory | Programming language | ||
APL | BASIC | Both | |
16K | A1 - $8,975 | B1 - $9,975 | C1 - $10,975 |
32K | A2 - $11,975 | B2 - $12,975 | C2 - $13,975 |
48K | A3 - $14,975 | B3 - $15,975 | C3 - $16,975 |
64K | A4 - $17,975 | B4 - $18,975 | C4 - $19,975 |