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Classification

The MacBook Air

The term "laptop" can refer to a number of classes of small portable computers

  Full-size Laptop: A laptop large enough to accommodate a "full-size" keyboard (akeyboard with the minimum QWERTY key layout, which is at least 13.5 keys across that

are on ¾ (0.750) inch centers, plus some room on both ends for the case). The

measurement of at least 11 inches across has been suggested as the threshold for thisclass.The first laptops were the size of a standard U.S. "A size" notebook sheet of paper

(8.5 × 11 inches)[but later "A4-size" laptops were introduced, which were the width of a

standard ISO 216 A4 sheet of paper (297 mm, or about 11.7 inches), and added a verticalcolumn of keys to the right and wider screens. It can also be laid sideways when not in

use.

  Netbook: A smaller, lighter, more portable laptop. It is also usually cheaper than a full-

size laptop, but has fewer features and less computing power. Smaller keyboards can be

more difficult to operate. There is no sharp line of demarcation between netbooks andinexpensive small laptops; some 11.6" models are marketed as netbooks. Since netbook 

laptops are quite small in size, netbooks typically do not come with an internal opticaldrive. 

  Tablet PC: these have touch screens. There are "convertable tablets" with a full keyboard

where the screen rotates to be used atop the keyboard, and "slate" form-factor machineswhich are usually touch-screen only (although a few older models feature very small

keyboards along the sides of the screen.)

  Rugged: Engineered to operate in tough conditions (mechanical shocks, extreme

temperatures, wet and dusty environments, etc.)

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A desktop replacement laptop Acer Aspire

Desktop replacement

Main article: Desktop replacement computer

A desktop-replacement computer is a laptop that provides all of the capabilities of a desktop

computer, with a similar level of performance. Desktop replacements are usually larger andheavier than standard laptops. They contain more powerful components and have a 15" or larger

display. They are bulkier and not as portable as other laptops, and their operation time on

batteries is typically shorter; they are intended to be used as compact and transportablealternatives to a desktop computer.[ 

Some laptops in this class use a limited range of desktop components to provide betterperformance for the same price at the expense of battery life; a few of those models have no

battery.[13]

 

In the early 2000s, desktops were more powerful, easier to upgrade, and much cheaper than

laptops, but in later years laptops have become much cheaper and more powerful than before,

and most peripherals are available in laptop-compatible USB versions which minimise the needfor internal add-on cards. In the second half of 2008, laptops outsold desktops for the first time.

The names "Media Center Laptops" and "Gaming Laptops" are used to describe specializednotebook computers.

Components

Main article: Computer hardware

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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

The basic components of laptops are similar in function to their desktop counterparts, but areminiaturized, adapted to mobile use, and designed for low power consumption. Because of the

additional requirements, laptop components are usually of inferior performance compared to

similarly priced desktop parts. Furthermore, the design bounds on power, size, and cooling of laptops limit the maximum performance of laptop parts compared to that of desktop components.

The following list summarizes the differences and distinguishing features of laptop componentsin comparison to desktop personal computer parts:

  Central processing unit (CPU): Laptop CPUs have advanced power-saving features and

produce less heat than desktop processors, but are not as powerful. Some laptops have

removable CPUs, although support by the motherboard may be restricted to the specific

models. other laptops the CPU is soldered on the motherboard and is non-replaceable.

  Memory (RAM): SO-DIMM memory modules that are usually found in laptops are abouthalf the size of desktop . Currently, most midrange laptops are factory equipped with 3 – 4GB of DDR2 RAM, while some higher end notebooks feature up to 32 GB of DDR3

memory. Netbooks however, are commonly equipped with only 1 GB of RAM to keep

manufacturing costs low.

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A SODIMM memory module

  Expansion cards: A PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) or ExpressCard bay for expansion

cards is often present on laptops to allow adding and removing functionality, even when

the laptop is powered on.

  Power supply: Laptops are typically powered by an internal rechargeable battery that is

charged using an external power supply, which outputs a DC voltage typically in therange of 7.2 – 24 volts. The charger adds about 400 grams (1 lb) to the overall "transport

weight" of the notebook.

  Battery: Current laptops utilize lithium ion batteries, with more recent models using the

new lithium polymer technology. These two technologies have largely replaced the older

nickel metal-hydride batteries. Typical battery life for standard laptops is two to fivehours of light-duty use, but may drop to as little as one hour when doing power-intensive

tasks. A battery's performance gradually decreases with time.

  Video display controller: On standard laptops the video controller is usually integrated

into the chipset to conserve power. This tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming andentertainment, two fields which have constantly escalating hardware demands, and

because the integrated chipset is very difficult to upgrade for a standard user, laptops maygrow obsolete quickly for use in gaming and entertainment.

  Display: Most modern laptops feature 13 inches (33 cm) or larger color active matrix

displays based on CCFL or LED lighting with resolutions of 1280×800 (16:10) or 1366 ×

768 (16:9) pixels and above. Some models use screens with resolutions common in

desktop PCs (for example, 1440×900, 1600×900 and 1680×1050.) Models with LED-based lighting offer a lesser power consumption and wider viewing angles. Netbooks

with a 10 inches (25 cm) or smaller screen typically use a resolution of 1024×600, while

netbooks and subnotebooks with a 11.6 inches (29 cm) or 12 inches (30 cm) screen usestandard notebook resolutions.

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A size comparison of 3.5" and 2.5" hard disk drives

  Removable media drives: A DVD /CD reader/writer drive is nearly universal on full-sized

models, and is common on thin-and-light models; it is uncommon on subnotebooks and

unknown on netbooks. CD drives are becoming rare, while Blu-Ray is becoming more

common on notebooks.

  Internal storage: Laptop hard disks are physically smaller — 2.5 inches (64 mm) or 1.8

inches (46 mm) — compared to desktop 3.5 inches (89 mm) drives. Some newer laptops

(usually ultraportables) employ more expensive, but faster, lighter and power-efficientflash memory-based SSDs instead. Currently, 250 to 500 GB sizes are common for

laptop hard disks (64 to 512 GB for SSDs).

  Input: A pointing stick, touchpad or both are used to control the position of the cursor onthe screen, and an integrated keyboard is used for typing. An external keyboard and/or

mouse may be connected using USB or PS/2 port, or Bluetooth (if present).

  Ports: several USB ports, an external monitor port (VGA, DVI, mini-DisplayPort or

HDMI), audio in/out, and an Ethernet network port are found on most laptops. Lesscommon are legacy ports such as a PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, serial port or a parallel

port. S-video or composite video ports are more common on consumer-orientednotebooks.

  Cooling: Waste heat from operation is difficult to remove in the compact internal spaceof a laptop. Early laptops used heat sinks placed directly on the components to be cooled,

but when these hot components are deep inside the device, a large space-wasting air duct

is needed to exhaust the heat. Modern laptops instead rely on heat pipes to rapidly movewaste heat towards the edges of the device, to allow for a much smaller and compact fan

and heat sink cooling system. Waste heat is usually exhausted away from the device

operator, towards the rear or sides of the device.

Advantages

  Portability is usually the first feature mentioned in any comparison of laptops versusdesktop PCs.

[35] Physical portability allows that a laptop can be used in many places —  

not only at home and at the office, but also during commuting and flights, in coffee

shops, in lecture halls and libraries, at clients' location or at a meeting room, etc. The

portability feature offers several distinct advantages:

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  Productivity: Using a laptop in places where a desktop PC can not be used, and at times

that would otherwise be wasted. For example, an office worker managing their e-mailsduring an hour-long commute by train, or a student doing his/her homework at the

university coffee shop during a break between lectures.

  Immediacy: Carrying a laptop means having instant access to various information,

personal and work files. Immediacy allows better collaboration between coworkers orstudents, as a laptop can be flipped open to present a problem or a solution anytime,

anywhere.

  Up-to-date information: If a person has more than one desktop PC, a problem of synchronization arises: changes made on one computer are not automatically propagated

to the others. There are ways to resolve this problem, including physical transfer of 

updated files (using a USB flash memory stick or CDRs) or using synchronizationsoftware over the Internet. However, using a single laptop at both locations avoids the

problem entirely, as the files exist in a single location and are always up-to-date.

  Connectivity: A proliferation of Wi-Fi wireless networks and cellular broadband data

services (HSDPA, EVDO and others) combined with a near-ubiquitous support by

laptops

[

means that a laptop can have easy Internet and local network connectivity whileremaining mobile. Wi-Fi networks and laptop programs are especially widespread at

university campuses.

Other advantages of laptops:

  Size: Laptops are smaller than desktop PCs. This is beneficial when space is at a

premium, for example in small apartments and student dorms. When not in use, a laptop

can be closed and put away.

  Low power consumption: Laptops are several times more power-efficient than desktops.

A typical laptop uses 20 – 90 W, compared to 100 – 800 W for desktops. This could be

particularly beneficial for businesses (which run hundreds of personal computers,multiplying the potential savings) and homes where there is a computer running 24/7

(such as a home media server, print server, etc.)

  Quiet: Laptops are often quieter than desktops, due both to the components (quieter,

slower 2.5-inch hard drives) and to less heat production leading to use of fewer andslower cooling fans.

  Battery: a charged laptop can continue to be used in case of a power outage and is not

affected by short power interruptions and blackouts. A desktop PC needs a UPS to handleshort interruptions, blackouts and spikes; achieving on-battery time of more than 20 – 30

minutes for a desktop PC requires a large and expensive UPS.

  All-in-One: designed to be portable, laptops have everything integrated in to the chassis.

For desktops (excluding all-in-ones) this is divided into the desktop, keyboard, mouse,display, and optional peripherals such as speakers.

Disadvantages

Compared to desktop PCs, laptops have disadvantages in the following fields:

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Performance

Most higher-end laptops are sufficiently powerful for high-resolution movie playback, some 3Dgaming and video editing and encoding. However, laptop processors can be disadvantaged when

dealing with higher-end database, maths, engineering, financial software, virtualization, etc.

Also, the top-of-the-line mobile graphics processors (GPUs) are significantly behind the top-of-the-line desktop GPUs to a greater degree than the processors, which limits the utility of laptops

for high-end 3D gaming and scientific visualization applications.

Upgradeability

Upgradeability of laptops is very limited compared to desktops, which are thoroughly

standardized. In general, hard drives and memory can be upgraded easily. Optical drives andinternal expansion cards may be upgraded if they follow an industry standard, but all other

internal components, including the motherboard, CPU and graphics, are not always intended to

be upgradeable.

Ergonomics and health

Because of their small and flat keyboard and trackpad pointing devices, prolonged use of laptopscan cause repetitive strain injury.[43] Usage of separate, external ergonomic keyboards and

pointing devices is recommended to prevent injury when working for long periods of time; they

can be connected to a laptop easily by USB or via a docking station. Some health standardsrequire ergonomic keyboards at workplaces.

The integrated screen often causes users to hunch over for a better view, which can cause neck orspinal injuries. A larger and higher-quality external screen can be connected to almost any laptop

to alleviate that and to provide additional screen space for more productive work. Anothersolution is to use a computer stand. 

Durability

Equipment wear 

Due to their portability, laptops are subject to more wear and physical damage than desktops.Components such as screen hinges, latches, power jacks and power cords deteriorate gradually

due to ordinary use. A liquid spill onto the keyboard, a rather minor mishap with a desktop

system, can damage the internals of a laptop and result in a costly repair. One study found that a

laptop is three times more likely to break during the first year of use than a desktop.

Parts replacement 

Original external components are expensive, and usually proprietary and non-interchangeable;

other parts are inexpensive — a power jack can cost a few dollars — but their replacement mayrequire extensive disassembly and reassembly of the laptop by a technician. Other inexpensive

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but fragile parts often cannot be purchased separate from larger more expensive components.The

repair costs of a failed motherboard or LCD panel often exceed the value of a used laptop.

Heat cooling

Laptops rely on extremely compact cooling systems involving a fan and heat sink that can faildue to eventual clogging by accumulated airborne dust and debris. Most laptops do not have anysort of removable dust collection filter over the air intake for these cooling systems, resulting in a

system that gradually runs hotter and louder as the years pass. Eventually the laptop starts to

overheat even at idle load levels. This dust is usually stuck inside where casual cleaning and

vacuuming cannot remove it. Many laptops are difficult to disassemble by the average user andcontain components sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD).

Battery life

Battery life is limited because the capacity drops with time, requiring an eventual replacement

after as little as a year. A new battery typically stores enough energy to run the laptop for three tofive hours, depending on usage, configuration, and power management settings. Yet, as it ages,

the battery's energy storage will dissipate progressively until it lasts only a few minutes

Security and privacy

Because they are valuable, common, and portable, laptops are prized targets for theft. The cost of stolen business or personal data, and of the resulting problems (identity theft, credit card fraud, 

breach of privacy), can be many times the value of the stolen laptop itself. Consequently,

physical protection of laptops and the safeguarding of data contained on them are both of great

importance.