In 1981 IBM introduced the IBM PC – model number 5150.  While it wasn’t the first PC to hit the market, its commercial success lead to the explosion of the IBM compatible format that dominates the market today.  Compaq introduced a ‘portable’ IBM compatible PC in January of 1983 – the first commercially available ‘laptop’: it weighed 28 lbs, had no battery, cost $3,590 and ensured that Compaq set revenue records for an American business in its first three years of operation.
A few months later, in March, Motorola introduced the first commercially available cell phone at a cost of $3,995.  It weighed only 1.5 lbs and could let you talk for up to 30 minutes before requiring you to charge it for 10 hours.  The waiting list for this phone was in the thousands.

Limitless growth
In 1984 there were roughly 300,000 mobile phone subscribers in the world – today there are over 3 billion.  Sales of the Compaq Mobile were 53,000 in the US 1983, with virtually no competitors – in 2007 over 31 million laptops were shipped to the States.  Things have changed.  And things keep changing: but what does that mean for way we do business?

Today, that dream of a portable office that had the well-to-do lugging around almost thirty pounds of computer and phone equipment is a reality.  Ultimate connectivity is here and continues to evolve into more affordable and more user-friendly forms.  The line between cell phone and computer is becoming blurred.  There are many options available: which is the best for you?

Limitless possibility
Firstly, ask yourself this: do I need or even want a portable office?  Many people are drawn to the wonder of new technology without giving careful consideration to how it will affect them and their business.  Others shy away from what appears to be a daunting new realm full of tech-talk and a time-consuming learning curve.  The best place to start is with your needs.

Here are some of the things that portable technology can do: allow you to connect to the internet from just about anywhere; synchronize your e-mail accounts and calendar; turn your hand-written notes into legible documents and organize them for you; give you access to all of your files and information at all times; the list goes on.

Limitless vision
Take a minute to envision your ideal portable office.  What would you like to be able to accomplish from anywhere?  (If the answer is leave work behind, then the best choice is to stop right here.)  Make a list of your ideal capabilities, even if some of them seem far-fetched.  You might not think that you can access and control your home or office computer from your smart phone, but you can.  Need to send faxes from your car – possible.  Want to use your laptop to make video calls from the beach – no problem.

The limits these days aren’t so much capability as budget.  Product prices are dropping about as fast as their capabilities are expanding, but it can still be costly.  Subscription prices aren’t as fast to fall and can add up to a tidy sum when you combine cutting-edge services.

25 years has seen a lot of changes in the tools that are available to business people.  You won’t see anyone lugging around 30 lbs of electronic equipment anymore, but there are more people than ever who get lured in by high-tech gadgets that don’t really benefit them, fearful of not being cutting-edge.  Keep it as simple and ‘light’ as possible.  If it meets your needs, one device is always better than two.

By Ivan Larcombe