Year: 1996
Initial Price: $3,199 (Lowered price to $2,499 in celebration of Toshiba’s 10 millionth portable sold in 1997), equivalent to $4,145 in 2020
The Libretto was a line of subnotebook computers designed and produced by Toshiba. The line was distinguished by its combination of functionality and small size, squeezing a full Windows PC into a device the size of a paperback book. The first Libretto model, the Libretto 20, was released on April 17, 1996 (in Japan only), with a volume of 821 cm3 (50.1 cu in) and weighing just 840 g (30 oz), making it by far, the world’s smallest commercially available Windows PC at the time, and a trend the Libretto Range continued for many years.
I had this machine thanks to a friend who won a last second bid for me 🙂
I made a short movie with this lovely little machine.
Toshiba Libretto 100CT Configuration
- Intel Pentium 166 MHz MMX
- 32 MB RAM (64 MB max.)
- 2.1 GB hard disk
- 7.1″ TFT display
The plastic used in this notebook is of high quality and dyed all the way through, unlike the surface-coated plastics used on imaginatively-colored ‘modern’ notebooks. The build quality is strong; the chassis exhibits no flex and the lid resists twisting as well. The display hinge is sturdy and should withstand at least sixteen years of usage.