Laptop Facts for Kids

An example of a laptop.

A laptop is a computer which is easy to carry around. Its user can fold the laptop along its hinge for carrying. The laptop was created mainly for this particular reason. Computer parts were scaled to smaller size so this could happen.

History

The first laptop was invented in 1979 by British Designer Bill Moggridge. GRiD Systems Corporation helped improve his design. GRiD made the product with a fold-down display that covered the keyboard. It was called the GriD Compass. In 1982, Grid Systems began to make many GriD Compass laptops. They were mostly sold to the US Military and NASA.

GRiD's computer was one fifth the weight of any other computer used at that time. NASA used the laptop in its Space Shuttle program, in the 1980s. The Grid Compass required mains power.

GRiD owned patents for the "Clamshell" design which is used in almost all modern laptop designs. GRiD Systems was bought by Tandy Corporation in 1988.

Some historians, however, count as the first "true" portable the Osborne 1. It was created in 1981 by Adam Osborne who was also a former book publisher. He was the founder of Osborne Computer. His portable computer weighed 24 pounds (11 Kg).

The computer had a five-inch screen, a serial port and two floppy disk drives. Several programs were included with the Osborne 1. Customers could also buy a 1 hour battery pack.

The Epson HX-20 was first sold to the public in 1981

Also in 1981, another laptop computer called Epson HX-20 went on sale . It was a portable computer with a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor. The computer also included a built-in printer. The whole device was could be battery powered.

One year later, in 1982, two computer designers from Microsoft, Kazuhiko Nishi and Bill Gates, discussed a new portable computer. The main thing about the computer was a new LCD technology. The prototype of the new laptop was presented to Radio Shack. Radio Shack agreed to start making the computer. A year later the company launched its TRS-80 Model 100, which was a computer that looked pretty much like the laptops we know today. In 1986 the company created its improved version called TRS Model 200. The following two years saw the appearance of a laptop PC from Compaq Computers and the first notebook-style laptop from NEC called NEC UltraLite.

The year 1989 was quite successful for laptop producers. First there was Apple Computer that developed its first portable computer called Macintosh Portable the evolution of which turned it into PowerBook. Then the company named Zenith Data Systems introduced its Zenith MinisPort – a portable computer weighing 6 pounds (2.5 Kg). Finally there was Compaq Computer that designed its first laptop PC called Compaq LTE.

The development of laptops continued with various upgrades and additional functions added. Laptops have a lot of advantages like:

People can carry them anywhere, whether office or home.
They can be used in a smaller space than an ordinary desk computer.

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales using a laptop on a park bench

At the same time portable computers have several negative points like:

Price is higher
Computer thefts became easier.
While used in the car they can cause car accidents.
They break more easily than desktop computers.
Portable laptops have usually low technical specifications and are available in low prices.
They are often slower than desktop computers with heavy tasks like gaming, video editing or graphic design.

In 2005 an organization called One Laptop Per Child started trying to improve education using cheap laptops.

After 2010 people bought fewer laptops because tablet computers are even more portable.

Images for kids

Two laptops: Dell XPS 15 9570 and Microsoft Surface Pro 7 running on Windows 10
A Chromebook 11 laptop by Acer Inc.
A MacBook Air laptop by Apple Inc.
Alan Kay holding the mockup of his Dynabook concept in 2008
A Siemens PCD-3Psx laptop, released in 1989
Compaq Armada laptop from the late 1990s
Apple MacBook Air, an "ultraportable" laptop weighing under 3.0 lb (1.36 kg)
Lenovo's IdeaPad laptop
Lenovo's ThinkPad business laptop, originally an IBM product
Asus Transformer Pad, a hybrid tablet, powered by Android OS
Microsoft Surface Pro 3, 2-in-1 detachable
Alienware gaming laptop with backlit keyboard and touch pad
Samsung Sens laptop
Panasonic Toughbook CF-M34, a rugged laptop/subnotebook
Miniaturization: a comparison of a desktop computer motherboard (ATX form factor) to a motherboard from a 13" laptop (2008 unibody MacBook)
Inner view of a Sony VAIO laptop
A SODIMM memory module
Closeup of a touchpad on an Acer laptop, where buttons and the touch-sensitive surface are shared
Closeup of a TrackPoint cursor and UltraNav buttons on a ThinkPad laptop
Interfaces on a ThinkPad laptop (2011): Ethernet network port (center), VGA (left), DisplayPort (top right) and USB 2.0 (bottom right). Due to the trend towards very flat laptops and the widespread use of WLAN, the relatively high Ethernet socket is no longer mandatory in today's devices, as is the technically outdated VGA.
Almost all laptops use smart batteries
Laptop power supply with cylindrical coaxial DC power connector
Docking station and laptop
Opened bottom covers allow replacement of RAM and storage modules (Lenovo G555)
A modem PCMCIA card on an old ThinkPad. The card would normally fully insert into the socket.
A teacher using the laptop as part of a workshop for school children
A clogged heat sink on a laptop after 2.5 years of use
ISS laptops in the US lab

Laptop facts for kids

History

Images for kids

See also