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* Improved hard disk technology. Early laptops had only floppy disk drives. As thin, high-capacity hard disk drives with higher reliability and shock resistance and lower power consumption became available, users could store their work on laptop computers and take it with them. A laptop computer (also known as notebook computer) is a small mobile personal computer, usually weighing from 1 to 3 kilograms (2 to 7 pounds). Terms for subtypes of notebooks (and related computer types) include: * Sager - NP series The first commercially available portable computer was the Osborne 1 in 1981, which used the CP/M operating system. Although it was large and heavy compared to today's laptops, with a tiny CRT monitor, it had a near-revolutionary impact on business, as professionals were able to take their computer and data with them for the first time. This and other "luggables" were inspired by what was probably the first portable computer, the Xerox NoteTaker, developed at Xerox PARC in 1976; however, only ten prototypes were built. The Osborne was about the size of a portable sewing machine, and importantly could be carried on a commercial aircraft. However, it was not possible to run the Osborne on batteries; it had to be plugged in. * Most laptops are powered or recharged from an external AC converter that usually takes the form of a plain black rectangular box. These devices weigh about 500 g (about 1 lb) and often take the name "power brick." * Bacoc * Powerful laptops (often heavy) designed to compete with the computing power offered by a typical desktop are sometimes known as desktop replacements. Before laptop computers were technically feasible, similar ideas had been proposed, most notably Alan Kay's Dynabook concept, developed at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s.
However this may not remain a misconception for long. Some newer laptops, for example Sony VAIO ultraportables, come with GSM cellphone-based wireless networking capablities, and it is possible to buy add-on PC card GSM modems which provide the same functionality for machines not so equipped. With these, a form of wireless broadband networking is available wherever there is cellphone coverage. Although this is much touted as an ideal business solution, the 'broadband' speeds are low compared to wired connections and the service is prohibitively expensive for most users at the time of writing (1Q 2006). In the US, wireless broadband offered by Cingular and Verizon starts at around $500 for a year with a minimum 2-year contract and each block of data transferred attracts a charge. Unlimited data plans are available but they would normally only appeal to corporate users. * Desknote Another claim to be the "first laptop" was made by a novice programmer Thomas Kelly in 1982. While it was made to be used upon one's lap, it weighed 150 pounds, and therefore could not be deemed truly portable. * Zyrex Two other noteworthy early laptops were the Sharp PC-5000 (1983) and the Gavilan SC, announced in 1983 but first sold in 1984. The Gavilan was notably the first computer to be marketed as a "laptop." It was also equipped with a pioneering touchpad-like pointing device, installed on a panel above the keyboard. Like the GriD Compass, the Gavilan and the Sharp were housed in clamshell cases, but they were partly IBM-compatible, although primarily running their own system software. Both had LCD displays, and had optional printers that attached to their cases. * Overam - Mirage series Later PowerBooks introduced the first 256-color displays, first true touchpad, and first built-in Ethernet networking. * Averatec
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* Winbook Later PowerBooks introduced the first 256-color displays, first true touchpad, and first built-in Ethernet networking. * Overam - Mirage series * Apple Computer - iBook, PowerBook and MacBook Pro * Alienware - Area 51m, Sentia and Aurora m series The Apple PowerBook series, introduced in 1991, heralded many changes that are now standard on laptops, including ergonomic improvements such as the placement of the keyboard at the back of the machine, thus creating a palm rest, and the inclusion of a built-in pointing device (a trackball). The following year, IBM released its Thinkpad series, offering similar miniaturization. * Improved interconnectivity. Internal modems and standard serial, parallel, and PS/2 ports on IBM PC-compatible laptops made it easier to work away from home; the addition of Ethernet networking ports and, from 1997, USB, and from 1999, Wi-Fi, made laptops as easy to use with peripherals as a desktop computer. * Medion
* Current models use lithium ion batteries, which have largely replaced the older nickel metal-hydride technology. Typical battery life for most laptops is two to five hours with light-duty use, but may drop to as little as one hour with intensive use. Batteries gradually degrade over time and eventually need to be replaced, depending on the charging and discharging pattern, from one to five years. * Portable computer * Dell - Inspiron and Latitude Before laptop computers were technically feasible, similar ideas had been proposed, most notably Alan Kay's Dynabook concept, developed at Xerox PARC in the early 1970s. Laptops usually run on batteries, but also from adapters which also charge the battery using mains electricity. * Improved battery technology. The heavy lead-acid batteries were replaced with lighter and more efficient technologies, first nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and then lithium ion and lithium polymer. * Tadpole - SPARCbook