Desktop Computer vs. Laptop Computers The invention of computers has made a huge change in human civilization and society, by changing the way people think. Computers replaced jobs and tedious repetitive thoughts that were done by human originally. People became more and more reliant on computers, and thus, computers became essential to our lives. Computers can manufacture products quickly, and eliminate possible human errors. As technology progresses, new ideas have been brought into computer to make them perform more efficiently. Also, scientists and engineers tend to make things “smaller”, so we can enjoy the benefits from electronic devices anywhere and anytime. Therefore, size and efficiency are two main points for consumers. Desktop computer and laptop computer are representatives for each of these concepts. Although desktops and laptops come from the same origin, they are different in many ways. The history of computers is an amazing story filled with interesting statistics. “The first computer was invented by a man named Konrad Zuse. He was a German construction engineer, and he used the machine mainly for mathematic calculations and repetition” (Bellis, Inventors of Modern Computer). The invention shocked the world; it inspired people to start the development of computers. Soon after, “In 1946, John Mauchly and J Presper Eckert developed the fastest computer at that time, the ENIAC I. It was built under the assistance of the US army, and it was used on military researches. The ENIAC I contained 17468 vacuum tubes, along with 70000 resistors, 10000 capacitors, 1500 relays, 6000 manual switches and 5 million soldered joints. It covered 1800 square feet of floor space, weighed 3 tons, consumed 160 kilowatts of electrical power.”(Bellis, Inventors of Modern Computer) These statistics are amazing, but even more amazing is the development of computers. Now in 2005, in this short 68-year period, computer technology has changed its entire look; now, we use computer chips instead of vacuum tubes and circuit board instead of wires. The changes in size and speed are probably the biggest. When we look at computers today, it is very hard to imagine computers 60 years ago were such big, heavy monsters. Desktop computers were commonly used since the late 90’s. The increasing number of applications on desktop computers allowed us to do all kinds of different activities like games, music, video, document editing and so on. In comparison with laptop computers, desktop computers have more stable performance, greater capacities, and throughout history, they have proven themselves more reliable to handle every job they have been assigned.
When World War II broke out in 1939 the United States was severely technologically disabled. There existed almost nothing in the way of mathematical innovations that had been integrated into military use. Therefore, the government placed great emphasis on the development of electronic technology that could be used in battle. Although it began as a simple computer that would aid the army in computing firing tables for artillery, what eventually was the result was the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Before the ENIAC it took over 20 hours for a skilled mathematician to complete a single computation for a firing situation. When the ENIAC was completed and unveiled to the public on Valentine’s Day in 1946 it could complete such a complex problem in 30 seconds. The ENIAC was used quite often by the military but never contributed any spectacular or necessary data. The main significance of the ENIAC was that it was an incredible achievement in the field of computer science and can be considered the first digital and per...
Derene, Glenne. (2009). Mac vs. PC: The Ultimate Lab Test for New Desktops & Laptops.
Yesterday my dad came home with a new thin laptop from work, this brought me back to my childhood. When I was 5 years old my father was employed to TD bank. Shortly after being hired I (a starry-eyed pre-computer nerd kid) recall him coming home with a big 10 pound workhorse laptop he carried through the years to do his work. Although computers are becoming more compact through breakthroughs in hardware, this is not the reason for my father’s new laptop. An article I’ve recently read brings up the point that users no longer need powerful desktop computers. While companies previously required employees
The conflict between personal computers (PCs; developed by Microsoft) and Macintosh computers (Macs; developed by Apple) has occurred for many years. The two are constantly competing with each other to win over the computing market. Macintosh claims that their computers are more efficient when working with graphic design and media arts, while a PC is known for mathematical superiority and a stronger variety of hardware and software. Many myths about both systems have been spread amongst the consumer world. However, proper research can easily clarify these fictions. Someone looking to buy a new computer has a right to know the truths behind both systems. Though the Macintosh computer and the personal computer have been competing for years, a PC is a much wiser choice for the average consumer.
It was January of 1975 when the first personal computer Altair 8800 was invented by an ex air force officer from Georgia, Ed Roberts. His motivation was his interest of having a personal computer to play with, since computer back then was scarce and was difficult to come across. The Altair 8800 was invented in Albuquerque New Mexico where Ed Roberts was running his calculator business called MITS. It was believed that Ed Robert’s Altair was the spark that started the fire, and gave personal computer a chance to be seen in everyone’s desk. Ed Roberts used a microprocessor (8080), to launch Altair, a chip that he got from Intel, the creator of chips, chips that they saw as useful only for calculators and traffic lights, but Ed Robert’s saw more. Microprocessor was a technological breakthrough that made personal computer possible, without it, the first personal computer would have never existed. Altair did basic computing, but it was a pain to use. Keying in data and instructions strenuously by flipping switches, that was really all that the Altair could do. So, those who had interest in technology decided to form a club called the “Homebrew Computer Club” at Stanford University in Silicon Valley , mainly to talk about computer, and how they could improve it. For Ed Roberts building more innovative personal computer was not the path that he chose to continue on doing, rather he sold his company MITS and pursue doctorate in his hometown, Georgia.
In the world of personal technology, their has always been such a huge gap between the two types of Personal Computers. Those two types are the Desktop and the Laptop. Arguments going to one side or the other. This is mostly for the people that don"t seem to grasp the very idea of the two sided discussion. These two machines are very different in few categories. These categories are their make/how are they made, pricing, portability, power and repairing. These are the most topics spoken of when it comes to this discussion.
Ceruzzi, P. E. (1998). A history of modern computing (pp. 270-272). London, England: The MIT Press.
Personal computers have been advertised and purchased by consumers for years. It seems every time we look up there’s a new one with even more advanced technology and features than the last. Over time it can be difficult to keep up with them all, so we may purchase one ever so often or when we have the money to do so. It’s even hard to believe that a PC advertised 5 years ago as the new and trending thing looks like a dinosaur compared to what we have today. In this paper I will be comparing two PC’s (one older and the other newer) and discussing some of their differences, comparisons, features, etc. Were there any similarities between the two? How are they different? And what do newer technologies like PC’s have to offer that older ones don’t?
Another example of the change in our technology over the last century is the change in the computer. In 1946, the first electronic computer called the ENIAC took up the space of a large room. Instead of using transistors and IC chips, the ENIAC used vacuum tubes. Compared to many computers now, the ENIAC is about as powerful as a small calculator. That may not be much, but it is a milestone because there would not be computers today if it were not for the ENIAC. As the years passed, the computer became smaller and more powerful. Today, more than half of the American population has a computer in their home. The personal computers today are thousands of times more powerful than the most powerful computers fifty years ago.
The laptop computer has had a tremendous impact in the areas of business, education, government, and personal use. The emergence of portable computing and the laptop computer can be traced to the introduction of the personal computer itself. In 1975, the MITS Altair 8800 was introduced. The Altair is recognized as being the first commercially successful personal computer and the launching point for the personal computer revolution (Sysop, n.d.). Almost simultaneously, the idea of portability (in particular for the business-person) became a major focus in the industry.
The fist computer, known as the abacus, was made of wood and parallel wires on which beads were strung. Arithmetic operations were performed when the beads were moved along the wire according to “programming” rules that had to be memorized by the user (Soma, 14). The second earliest computer, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1694, was a “digital calculating machine.” Pascal designed this first known digital computer to help his father, who was a tax collector. Pascal’s computer could only add numbers, and they had to be entered by turning dials (Soma, 32). It required a manual process like its ancestor, the abacus. Automation was introduced in the early 1800’s by a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage. He created an automatic calculation machine that was steam powered and stored up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Unlike its two earliest ancestors, Babbage’s invention was able to perform various operations. It relied on cards with holes punched in them, which are called “punch cards.” These cards carried out the programming and storing operations for the machine. Unluckily, Babbage’s creation flopped due to the lack of mechanical precision and the lack of demand for the product (Soma, 46). The machine could not operate efficiently because technology was t adequate to make the machine operate efficiently Computer interest dwindled for many years, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people became interested in them once again.
Imagine working on your English papers sitting comfortably on your couch in front of the TV, or working outside on a beautiful day. This dream could be a reality for those who purchase a notebook computer. Today's notebooks have just as much computing power as desktop models but are more compact, and with wireless internet access are now more portable than ever. This paper will give a brief history of notebook computers, explain how they work, and compare a couple models.
Long ago, people were simple and didn’t have many technologies. They used to take so much time in planning their projects, researching, and saving and recording their studying. Look around, this world changed a lot. There are cars, airplanes, computers, and many other technologies. Technology can be found everywhere, and we use depend on it a lot. One of the most important technologies is computers and laptops. Many people use them today in their daily lives and it eases many things for them.
The history of the computer dates back all the way to the prehistoric times. The first step towards the development of the computer, the abacus, was developed in Babylonia in 500 B.C. and functioned as a simple counting tool. It was not until thousands of years later that the first calculator was produced. In 1623, the first mechanical calculator was invented by Wilhelm Schikard, the “Calculating Clock,” as it was often referred to as, “performed it’s operations by wheels, which worked similar to a car’s odometer” (Evolution, 1). Still, there had not yet been anything invented that could even be characterized as a computer. Finally, in 1625 the slide rule was created becoming “the first analog computer of the modern ages” (Evolution, 1). One of the biggest breakthroughs came from by Blaise Pascal in 1642, who invented a mechanical calculator whose main function was adding and subtracting numbers. Years later, Gottfried Leibnez improved Pascal’s model by allowing it to also perform such operations as multiplying, dividing, taking the square root.
Computers are one of the most popular kinds of electronic devices in the world today. Whether kid or adult, male or female, everyone wants to learn how to operate the computer. People use computers for different purposes such as typing papers, creating websites, making presentations, browsing on the internet, playing games, etc. In fact, many people are still confused about choosing what kind of computer they want to buy. In the world today, there are two types of computers: notebook/laptop and desktop. They both are actually very different in several ways. In this paper, I will compare the size, connectivity, power, and price of notebook and desktop computers. I can make these comparisons because I have both a notebook and a desktop computer in my apartment.