A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. These typically have a “clamshell” form factor, typically having the screen mounted on the inside of the upper lid and the keyboard on the inside of the lower lid, although 2-in-1 PCs with a detachable keyboard are often marketed as laptops or as having a “laptop mode.” Laptops are folded shut for transportation, and thus are suitable for mobile use. Its name comes from lap, as it was deemed practical to be placed on a person’s lap when being used. Today, laptops are the used in a variety of settings, such as at work, in education, for playing games, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and general home computer use.
As of 2021, in American English, the terms laptop computer and notebook computer are used interchangeably;in other dialects of English one or the other may be preferred. The term ‘notebook computers’ or ‘notebooks’ originally referred to a specific size of laptop (originally smaller and lighter than mainstream laptops of the time),the terms have come to mean the same thing and notebook no longer refers to any specific size.
Laptops combine all the input/output components and capabilities of a desktop computer, including the display screen, small speakers, a keyboard, data storage device, sometimes an optical disc drive, pointing devices (such as a touchpad or pointing stick), with an operating system, a processor and memory into a single unit. Most modern laptops feature integrated webcams and built-in microphones, while many also have touchscreens. Laptops can be powered either from an internal battery or by an external power supply from an AC adapter. Hardware specifications, such as the processor speed and memory capacity, significantly vary between different types, models and price points.
Design elements, form factor and construction can also vary significantly between models depending on intended use. Examples of specialized models of laptops include rugged notebooks for use in construction or military applications, as well as low production cost laptops such as those from the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) organization, which incorporate features like solar charging and semi-flexible components not found on most laptop computers. Portable computers, which later developed into modern laptops, were originally considered to be a small niche market, mostly for specialized field applications, such as in the military, for accountants, or for traveling sales representatives. As the portable computers evolved into the modern laptop, they became widely used for a variety of purposes.
Contents
- 1History
- 2Etymology
- 3Types
- 4Hardware
- 4.1Display
- 4.2Central processing unit
- 4.3Graphical processing unit
- 4.4Memory
- 4.5Internal storage
- 4.6Removable media drive
- 4.7Inputs
- 4.8Input/output (I/O) ports
- 4.9Expansion cards
- 4.10Battery and power supply
- 4.11Cooling
- 4.12Docking station
- 4.13Charging trolleys
- 4.14Solar panels
- 4.15Accessories
- 4.16Changes in certain features
- 4.17Obsolete features
- 5Comparison with desktops
- 6Sales
- 7Laptop disposal
- 8Extreme use
- 9See also
- 10Notes
- 11References
- 12External links
History
Main article: History of laptopsAlan Kay holding the mockup of his Dynabook concept in 2008The Epson HX-20, the first “laptop computer”, was invented in 1980 and introduced in 1981
As the personal computer (PC) became feasible in 1971, the idea of a portable personal computer soon followed. A “personal, portable information manipulator” was imagined by Alan Kay at Xerox PARC in 1968, and described in his 1972 paper as the “Dynabook“.The IBM Special Computer APL Machine Portable (SCAMP) was demonstrated in 1973. This prototype was based on the IBM PALM processor. The IBM 5100, the first commercially available portable computer, appeared in September 1975, and was based on the SCAMP prototype.
As 8-bit CPU machines became widely accepted, the number of portables increased rapidly. The first “laptop-sized notebook computer” was the Epson HX-20, invented (patented) by Suwa Seikosha‘s Yukio Yokozawa in July 1980,introduced at the COMDEX computer show in Las Vegas by Japanese company Seiko Epson in 1981,and released in July 1982. It had an LCD screen, a rechargeable battery, and a calculator-size printer, in a 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) chassis, the size of an A4 notebook. It was described as a “laptop” and “notebook” computer in its patent
The portable micro computer Portal of the French company R2E Micral CCMC officially appeared in September 1980 at the Sicob show in Paris. It was a portable microcomputer designed and marketed by the studies and developments department of R2E Micral at the request of company CCMC specializing in payroll and accounting. It was based on an Intel 8085 processor, 8-bit, clocked at 2 MHz. It was equipped with a central 64 KB RAM, a keyboard with 58 alpha numeric keys and 11 numeric keys (separate blocks), a 32-character screen, a floppy disk : capacity = 140,000 characters, of a thermal printer : speed = 28 characters / second, an asynchronous channel, a synchronous channel, a 220 V power supply. It weighed 12 kg and its dimensions were 45 x 45 x 15 cm. It provided total mobility. Its operating system was the aptly named Prologue.A Siemens PCD-3Psx laptop, released in 1989
The Osborne 1, released in 1981, was a luggable computer that used the Zilog Z80 and weighed 24.5 pounds (11.1 kg). It had no battery, a 5 in (13 cm) cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, and dual 5.25 in (13.3 cm) single-density floppy drives. Both Tandy/RadioShack and Hewlett Packard (HP) also produced portable computers of varying designs during this period The first laptops using the flip form factor appeared in the early 1980s. The Dulmont Magnum was released in Australia in 1981–82, but was not marketed internationally until 1984–85. The US$8,150 (US$21,860 today) GRiD Compass 1101, released in 1982, was used at NASA and by the military, among others. The Sharp PC-5000, Ampereand Gavilan SC released in 1983. The Gavilan SC was described as a “laptop” by its manufacturer, while the Ampere had a modern clamshell design.The Toshiba T1100 won acceptance not only among PC experts but the mass market as a way to have PC portability.
.jpg){kind=link}
