Notebook Computers

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Notebook Computers

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.

First Notebook 1979

Notebook computers have been around longer than most people would realize. The first notebook was designed in 1979 by William Moggridge of Grid Systems Corporation. It was one-fifth the weight of any equivalent desktop model and was used by NASA on the space shuttle in the early 1980s. Apple Computer introduced its first notebook-sized computer in 1984. Although the Apple IIc was genuinely a portable computer it was not a true laptop. The actual computing system weighed about 10 to 12 pounds total, but the monitor was heavier than the computer itself. In 1986, IBM introduced the first compact computer small enough to be called a laptop, the IBM PC Convertible. It weighed 12 lbs and sold for $3,500. The PC Convertible was a success, and ushered in the laptop era.

The major aspects of notebook computers are the same as desktops. They contain processors, operating systems, memory, disk drives, input/output ports, sound cards and speakers. The “brain” of the notebook is called a “microprocessor.” It coordinates all of the computer's functions according to programmed instructions. The operating system, such as Windows 98/2000/NT/XP, Linux and Mac OS, is the set of pre-programmed instructions that tell the processor what to do. Notebooks contain both RAM and ROM memory. ROM stands for Read Only Memory. It can be read from, but not written to. ROM is where the basic input/output is stored. RAM is the memory that stores application software and data files while the computer is operating. In order for notebooks to be more portable and durable than a desktop, the memory modules have to be different.

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