Microsoft chairman Bill Gates first told the world about plans for an ultra-portable PC in April 2005 at the annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. He envisioned a gadget that ran all day on a single battery charge, cost less than $500 (£300), had a touch screen and ran games, music and multimedia. The next information the world heard was via a leaked video that showed off the abilities of an early prototype. By then the project had acquired the code-name Origami.
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