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Is there really a difference between a
laptop and
notebook
computer? For most consumers shopping for a mobile (or portable) computer system
today, the short answer is no. In fact, many consumers will look for a laptop
but find almost everything is now called a notebook.
The difference between a laptop and notebook
today is mainly what the manufacturer chooses to call its product.
Technically and traditionally, the difference between the two is a matter of size.
notebook computer
(n.) An extremely lightweight personal computer. Notebook
computers typically weigh less than six pounds and are small enough to fit
easily in a briefcase. Notebook computers use a variety of techniques, known as
flat-panel technologies, to produce a lightweight and non-bulky display
screen.
In terms of computing power, modern notebook
computers are nearly equivalent to personal computers. They have the same
CPUs, memory capacity and disk drives. However, all this power in a small
package is expensive.
Notebook computers come with battery packs that enable you to run them
without plugging them in. However, the batteries need to be recharged every
few hours.
laptop
(n.) A small, portable computer — small enough that it can
sit on your lap. Nowadays, laptop computers are more frequently called
notebook computers, though technically laptops are somewhat larger in size
than notebooks, in both thickness and weight.
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Key Terms To
Understanding portable and mobile computers:
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The laptop was originally designed to be
similar to a desktop, but be small and light enough that it could be used
while sitting in your lap. For this reason, years ago, you would find that a laptop
had more features than notebooks did, but the tradeoff was it was also a
larger and heavier than a notebook. This is because the notebook style of
portable computers was for mobility, not just portability. To be a
more mobile device, the notebook was a thinner design and it weighed less
than the laptop, simply because it didn't come packed with features and multiple
devices and drives.
Years ago, notebook computers would have
a smaller display than a laptop, fewer internal drives (hard drive, floppy or
CD-ROM - depending on the year manufactured), and the sound, modem, and such
would be integrated - not separate upgradable hardware devices. Laptops were
considered to be desktop replacements; portable computers with features,
functions, and options comparable to your desktop computer.
So while there technically is a difference
between the two — and that is the size and weight of the device (which in
turn impacts the system's features) — today there is even less of a difference
between the two since technology advancements means that most common
computer devices and peripherals are much smaller now.
For example, When
NEC released its UltraLite
Notebook in 1989, a portable PC that many attribute to being the first
notebook computer, it contained a CPU, RAM, ROM, 2MB solid state memory
storage, a built-in modem and one RS-232C port. It weighed 5 pounds. The laptops
from around this same time frame, such as the
Compaq SLT/286, would typically have a CPU, memory, hard
drive, floppy drive, VGA display and could weigh up to 12 or 14 pounds. The
laptops could be two to three times the thickness of the notebook.
Is "Laptop"
Being Phased Out?
Today technology allows devices to be slimmer, smaller and better for
mobile computing by design, so the size of portable computers (both in
thickness and weight) is decreasing. For this reason, options that once
defined the difference between a laptop and notebook computer are separated
by a small, almost invisible fine line today.
Another reason the term laptop is becoming
less frequently used is because a portable "comparable to desktop" system
today could easily lead to heat discomfort and possible injury if left in
your lap for extended periods of time. By calling a laptop a notebook, it
also removes the association that the portable device is well-suited to
being used only on your lap. Another reason that the term laptop does not
fit in with today's technology is that these traditionally "heavier"
portable computers that once were clearly a laptop are just not being made
anymore.
Consumers frequently call their notebook a
laptop and use the two words interchangeably. However, most mobile computing
manufacturers have actually dropped the term laptop completely from their
product lineup in favor of the term notebook.
HP for example offers a selection of
"Performance Notebooks", starting at 6.1 pounds with 15.4" - 17" displays
and a line of "Balanced Mobility Notebooks" starting at 4.7 pounds with "14.1"
- 17" displays. Here, the Balanced Mobility Notebooks fit the traditional
definition of a notebook, while the specifications of the "Performance
Notebooks" are more inline with the traditional definition of a laptop
(bigger, heavier than 6 pounds and more features).
On the Acer Web site you'll find
the Aspire and TravelMate notebook series. Gateway uses only the term
notebook to describe its products, as does Sharp, Sony, NEC, IBM, Fujitsu,
and others. Dell is
one of a few manufacturers who use the term laptop on its Web site to
market their mobile computing systems.
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DID YOU KNOW...
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1983: Radio Shack released the TRS-80 Model 100. It was a
four pound battery operated portable computer.
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1988: Compaq Computer introduced the Compaq SLT/286. It is
the first laptop PC with VGA graphics. It weighed 14
pounds.
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1989: NEC releases the "UltraLite", which is considered to
be the first notebook computer. It was laptop size
but weighed under 5 pounds.
Source:
History of Laptop Computers |
