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Laptop

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A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a clamshell form factor with a flat-panel screen on the inside of the upper lid and an alphanumeric keyboard and pointing device on the inside of the lower lid. Most of the computer's internal hardware is fitted inside the lower lid enclosure under the keyboard, although many modern laptops have a built-in webcam at the top of the screen, and some even feature a touchscreen display. In most cases, unlike tablet computers which run on mobile operating systems, laptops tend to run on desktop operating systems, which were originally developed for desktop computers.

Overview[]

Laptops can run on both AC power and rechargeable battery packs and can be folded shut for convenient storage and transportation, making them suitable for mobile use. Laptops are used in a variety of settings, such as at work (especially on business trips), in education, for playing games, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and for general home computer use.

The word laptop, modelled after the term desktop (as in desktop computer), refers to the fact that the computer can be practically placed on the user's lap; while the word notebook refers to most laptops sharing a form factor with paper notebooks. As of 2024, in American English, the terms laptop and notebook are used interchangeably; in other dialects of English, one or the other may be preferred. The term notebook originally referred to a type of portable computer that was smaller and lighter than mainstream laptops of the time, but has since come to mean the same thing and no longer refers to any specific size.

Laptops combine many of the input/output components and capabilities of a desktop computer into a single unit, including a display screen (usually 11–17 in or 280–430 mm in diagonal size), small speakers, a keyboard, and a pointing device (namely compact ones such as touchpads or pointing sticks). Most modern laptops include a built-in webcam and microphone, and many also have touchscreens. Hardware specifications may vary significantly between different types, models, and price points.

Design elements, form factors, and construction can also vary significantly between models depending on the intended use. Examples of specialized models of laptops include 2-in-1 laptops, with keyboards that either be detached or pivoted out of view from the display (often marketed having a “laptop mode”); rugged laptops, for use in construction or military applications; and 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 travelling sales representatives. As portable computers evolved into modern laptops, they became widely used for a variety of purposes.

History[]

Underlying technology[]

The development of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) large-scale integration (LSI) technology led to the development of portable computers.[1] The development of cell phone technology was enabled by advances in MOSFET (metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistor) semiconductor device fabrication. The MOSFET (MOS transistor), invented by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng at Bell Labs in 1959, is the basic building block of modern cell phones.[2][3] MOSFET scaling, where MOS transistors get smaller with decreasing power consumption, enabled LSI and very large-scale integration (VLSI) technology, with MOS transistor counts in integrated circuit chips increasing at an exponential pace, as predicted by Moore's law. Continuous MOSFET scaling eventually made it possible to build portable computers.[2] A typical modern laptop is built from billions of tiny MOSFETs as of 2019,[3] used in integrated circuits such as microprocessors and memory chips,[4] as power devices,[5] and as thin-film transistors (TFTs)[6] in mobile displays.[7]

Another important enabling factor was the lithium-ion battery, which became indispensable as an energy source for portable computers.[5] The lithium-ion battery was invented by Rachid Yazami, Akira Yoshino and John Goodenough in the 1980s,[8] and commercialized by Sony and Asahi Kasei in 1991.[9][8]

Early laptops[]

Epson-hx-20

The Epson HX-20, the first notebook computer, was invented in 1980 and introduced in 1981.

Yukio Yokozawa, an employee for Suwa Seikosha, a branch of Japanese company Seiko (now Seiko Epson), invented the first laptop/notebook computer in July 1980, receiving a patent for the invention.[10] Seiko's notebook computer, known as the HC-20 in Japan, was announced in 1981.[11] In North America, Epson introduced it as the Epson HX-20 in 1981, at the COMDEX computer show in Las Vegas, where it drew significant attention for its portability.[12] It had a mass-market release in July 1982, as the HC-20 in Japan[11] and as the Epson HX-20 in North America.[13] It was the first notebook-sized handheld computer,[14][15][16] the size of an A4 notebook and weighing 1.6 kg (3.5 lb).[11]

Sharp PC-5000

Sharp PC-5000, released in 1983, was the first commercial laptop with a clamshell design.

NEC UltraLite

NEC UltraLite, released in 1988, was the first IBM PC compatible notebook computer.

The first laptops using the flip form factor appeared in the early 1980s. The first commercial laptop with a clamshell design was the Sharp PC-5000, released in 1983.[17] The Toshiba T1100 won acceptance by PC experts and the mass market as a way to have PC portability.[18] NEC UltraLite, released in 1988, was the first notebook computer on the market compatible with the IBM PC standard.[19]

The terms laptop and notebook both trace their origins to the early 1980s, coined to describe portable computers in a size class smaller than the contemporary mainstream units (so-called "luggables") but larger than pocket computers.[20][21] The term Notebook emerged in 1982[22] to describe Epson's HX-20 portable, whose dimensions roughly correspond to a letter-sized pad of paper.[21][23]:9[24] Notebooks emerged as their own separate market from laptops with the release of the NEC UltraLite in 1988.[25]:16 Notebooks and laptops continued to occupy distinct market segments into the mid-1990s,[26] but ergonomic considerations and customer preference for larger screens soon led to notebooks converging with laptops in the late 1990s.[27] Today, the terms laptop and notebook are synonymous, with laptop being the more common term in most English-speaking territories.[27][28]

Some laptops in the 1980s using red plasma displays could only be used when connected to AC power, and had a built in power supply.[29]

Advances[]

The development of memory cards was driven in the 1980s by the need for a floppy-disk-drive alternative, having lower power consumption, less weight, and reduced volume in laptops. The Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) was an industry association created in 1989 to promote a standard for memory cards in PCs. The specification for PCMCIA type I cards, later renamed PC Cards, was first released in 1990.[30][31]

Displays reached 640x480 (VGA) resolution by 1988, and color screens started becoming a common upgrade in 1991,[32] with increases in resolution and screen size occurring frequently until the introduction of 17" screen laptops in 2003. Hard drives started to be used in portables, encouraged by the introduction of 3.5" drives in the late 1980s, and became common in laptops starting with the introduction of 2.5" and smaller drives around 1990; capacities have typically lagged behind those of physically larger desktop drives.

Resolutions of laptop webcams are 720p (HD), or 480p in lower-end laptops.[33] The earliest-known laptops with 1080p (Full HD) webcams like the Samsung 700G7C were released in the early 2010s.[34]

Optical disc drives became common in full-size laptops around 1997: initially CD-ROM drives, supplanted by CD-R, then DVD, then Blu-ray drives with writing capability. Starting around 2011, the trend shifted against internal optical drives, and as of 2022, they have largely disappeared, though are still readily available as external peripherals.

In 2021, Dell showed Concept Luna, which is a concept for a laptop that can be easily dissassembled.[35][36][37]

References[]

  1. ↑ Srivastava, Viranjay M.; Singh, Ghanshyam (2013). MOSFET Technologies for Double-Pole Four-Throw Radio-Frequency Switch. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1. ISBN 9783319011653.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sahay, Shubham; Kumar, Mamidala Jagadesh (2019). Junctionless Field-Effect Transistors: Design, Modeling, and Simulation. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119523536.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Remarks by Director Iancu at the 2019 International Intellectual Property Conference". United States Patent and Trademark Office. June 10, 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Colinge, Jean-Pierre; Greer, James C. (2016). Nanowire Transistors: Physics of Devices and Materials in One Dimension. Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ISBN 9781107052406.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Williams, R. K.; Darwish, M. N.; Blanchard, R. A.; Siemieniec, R.; Rutter, P.; Kawaguchi, Y. (2017). "The Trench Power MOSFET—Part II: Application Specific VDMOS, LDMOS, Packaging, and Reliability". IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices. 64 (3): 692–712. doi:10.1109/TED.2017.2655149. ISSN 0018-9383.
  6. ↑ Kimizuka, Noboru; Yamazaki, Shunpei (2016). Physics and Technology of Crystalline Oxide Semiconductor CAAC-IGZO: Fundamentals. John Wiley & Sons. p. 217. ISBN 9781119247401.
  7. ↑ "Thin Film Transistor - an overview". ScienceDirect. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies Recipients". IEEE Medal for Environmental and Safety Technologies. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Keywords to understanding Sony Energy Devices – keyword 1991". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  10. ↑ FR2487094A1 patent: Notebook computer system small
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 【Shinshu Seiki / Suwa Seikosha】 HC-20, Information Processing Society of Japan
  12. ↑ Epson HX-20, Old Computers
  13. ↑ Michael R. Peres, The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, page 306, [[Taylor & Francis
  14. ↑ "Epson SX-20 Promotional Brochure" (PDF). Epson America, Inc. 1987. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
  15. ↑ 【Shinshu Seiki / Suwa Seikosha】 HC-20, Information Processing Society of Japan
  16. ↑ Michael R. Peres, The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, page 306, Taylor & Francis
  17. ↑ Sharp PC-5000 Archived 4 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Old Computers
  18. ↑ "Milestones:Toshiba T1100, a Pioneering Contribution to the Development of Laptop PC, 1985 – Engineering and Technology History Wiki". ethw.org. 3 November 2021.
  19. ↑ Parker, John (June 3, 1991). "Notebook Computers Grow Up in a Hurry". Electronic Business. Reed Business Information. 17 (11): 60 – via ProQuest. Quoted in Bugra, Ayse, ed. (2011). State, Market and Organizational Form. De Gruyter. p. 235. ISBN 9783110800739 – via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Reid, T. R. (October 10, 1988). "The Latest Wave in Personal Computers Is Small but Fast". The Washington Post: p. F28. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. https://archive.today/20240505050802/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1988/10/10/the-latest-wave-in-personal-computers-is-small-but-fast/1f947411-c060-43e2-aa57-9ee496eaca9b/. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Williams, Gregg (April 1982). "The First Byte-Sized Computer". Byte. McGraw-Hill. 7 (4): 104–105 – via the Internet Archive.
  22. ↑ "notebook computer, n." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024.
  23. ↑ Needle, David (December 13, 1982). "Crowds converge on NE Computer Show". InfoWorld. IDG Publications. 4 (49): 1, 9–11 – via Google Books.
  24. ↑ Needle, David (May 14, 1984). "Epson's PX-8 lap computer". InfoWorld. IDG Publications. 6 (20): 9 – via Google Books.
  25. ↑ Gookin, Dan (2005). Laptops for Dummies. Wiley. pp. 7–17. ISBN 9780764575556 – via Google Books.
  26. ↑ Vowels, Andrew (March 1995). "Have computer, will travel". CMA. Society of Management Accountants of Canada. 69 (2): 16–19 – via ProQuest.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Mueller, Scott (2004). Upgrading and Repairing Laptops. Que. p. 2. ISBN 9780789728005 – via Google Books.
  28. ↑ Naik, Abhijit. "Notebook Vs. Laptop". Buzzle.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "InfoWorld". 10 November 1986.
  30. ↑ Anderson, Don (27 January 1995). PCMCIA System Architecture: 16-bit PC Cards. Addison-Wesley Professional. ISBN 978-0-201-40991-8.
  31. ↑ "PC Mag". 21 December 1993.
  32. ↑ "IBM PS/2 CL57SX | Laptop Pics". Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  33. ↑ "In The Age Of Zoom, Bad Laptop Webcams Are A Big Problem". Digital Trends. 8 April 2020.
  34. ↑ Stein, Scott. "Samsung 700G7C review: Samsung 700G7C". CNET.
  35. ↑ https://www.pcworld.com/article/559373/dell-reveals-concept-luna-a-radically-compelling-vision-for-sustainable-laptops.html
  36. ↑ https://www.pcmag.com/news/first-look-dells-concept-luna-targets-laptop-sustainability-with-modular
  37. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/12/dells-concept-luna-pc-disassembles-easily-so-you-can-reuse-its-parts/
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