Computing Confidential
Posted on June 15th, 2026 –
If you go back a little bit through the history of TCL posts you’ll find that I’m no stranger to edgy software and modern technologies. I also tend to interpret such things through a particular lens.
Yet, despite the inherent incredulity of my purview, I was surprised to discover this obscure tidbit of homegrown PC history: the MCM/70 portable computer by Micro Computer Machines Inc.
Here’s their 1973, totally undercover “Executive” edition:
I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a spring-activated blade ready to shoot forth from within a well-placed cooling vent in there somewhere … strictly for personal defense, of course.
Originally, MCM Inc. operated out of a desolate area of what is now Toronto called Willowdale. Founded in 1971, the company had a roughly 10-year production run before shutting down operations. One of the most notable names behind the effort was Professor Mers Kutt. Other participants are less well known.
It’s safe to say that the MCM/70 is considered to be among the first, if not the first, in the field of portable computing. In other words, this is a very early version of the thing you carry around with you whenever you vacate your domicile, bowels, etc.
More extensive histories and galleries of the machine exist online but projects involving subsequent hardware, such as the results of the Department of National Defence’s war games simulations using the MCM/800, remain unavailable.
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