You would be very hard pressed to find someone who has never heard of a laptop. As you may already know a laptop is nothing more then a small, portable type of personal computer. They usually have the same capabilities as the larger desktop PC with a few minor differences. Power used to run one of the laptops is generally created by a rechargeable battery which is built into your laptop.
The initial concept dates back to the early 70s when Alan Kay proposed what was known as the Dynabook concept. This was a very early idea for the current laptop. Later this very concept was further developed by Xerox but the resultant computers were not available to the public at that time. The first commercially available laptop appeared in 1980. To those who may be able to think back that far, try and remember the portable machine know as the Osborne 1. This version of a laptop was distributed by the Osborne Computer Corporation and it was extremely heavy and bulky. It has a miniature 5 inch monitor built in which actually was based upon a television set.
After the Osborne appeared a number of companies entered the portable computer field including Compaq, Kaypro and Epson. It wasn’t until the 90’s that the battery powered laptop came into its own right. At the close of the 90’s technology had brought about many different improvements to the laptop computer.
A visit today to one of your local computer stores will reveal a vast selection of laptops with an assortment of looks, various hard drive options, diverse operating systems and different installed applications. You will quickly note that many of the major electronic equipment companies have their versions of the laptop readily available for purchase on the shelves as well. You will see names such as Sony, Dell, Toshiba, Apple, Compaq as well as some of the lesser known business names. The looks of the laptops can vary greatly in their size, the color selections, different screen sizes and various weights.
You are now able to select a laptop computer with numerous RAM capacities, hard drives that are of various speeds and sizes, CD/DVD drives, ready to run network capabilities, various sound quality or graphic capabilities. Each computer manufacturer has certain traits that make their machines desirable. As an example the Apple computer is known far and wide for their great abilities to create and edit images, videos and sounds while the Dell computers are known predominantly for their various customization options as well as their economical price.
Generally laptops will include all of the same capabilities as would be found within desktop computers. They usually are equipped with a standard operating system, various software programs and a graphics card. The major difference in the laptop is the mouse setup. The mouse on a laptop is built into the keyboard whereas the mouse on the normal PC is a separate entity. Generally, if you are averse to using the built in mouse the laptops come with a USB port where you can plug in a normal mouse for use.