Laptops
A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile use. A laptop is powered by mains electricity via an AC adapter,
and can be used away from an outlet using a rechargeable battery. A laptop battery in new condition typically stores enough
energy to run the laptop for three to five hours, depending on the computer usage, configuration and power management settings.
When the laptop is plugged into the mains, the battery charges, whether or not the computer is running.
Major laptop brands
- Acer: TravelMate, eMachines, Extensa, Ferrari and Aspire
- Apple: MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
- Asus—Asus Eee, Lamborghini, ASUS G Series(ROG)
- Dell: Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Studio, Vostro and XPS
- Fujitsu: Lifebook
- Gateway
- HCL: ME Laptop, ME Netbook, Leaptop and MiLeap
- Hewlett-Packard—HP: HP Pavilion, HP Probook, Compaq Presario
- Lenovo: ThinkPad, IdeaPad, and 3000 series
- LG: Xnote
- Medion: Akoya
- MSI—Micro-Star International: E(ntertainment), C(lassic), P(rofessional), G(aming), V(alue), A(esthetic), X(Slim), U series and Wind Netbook
- Packard Bell: Easynote
- Panasonic: Toughbook, Satellite, Let's Note (Japan only)
- Sager Midern: Various Clevo based models, many boutique vendor branded models
- Samsung: SENS: N, P, Q, R and X series
- Sony: Vaio
- TG Sambo: Averatec, Averatec Buddy
- Toshiba: Dynabook, Portege, Tecra, Satellite, Qosmio, Libretto
Advantages:
- Portability: Using your laptop anywhere.
- Productivity: Using a laptop in places where a desktop PC can not be used.
- Immediacy: Carrying a laptop means having instant access to various information, personal and work files
- Connectivity: A proliferation of Wi-Fi wireless networks and cellular broadband data services.
- Size: Laptops are smaller than desktop PCs.
- Low power consumption: Laptops are several times more power-efficient than desktops.
- Quiet: Laptops are often quieter than desktops.
- 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.
Disadvantages:
- While the performance of mainstream desktops and laptops is comparable, and the cost of laptops has fallen more rapidly than desktops, laptops remain more expensive than desktop PCs at the same or even lower performance level.
- Laptop processors can be disadvantaged when dealing with higher-end database, maths, engineering, financial software, virtualisation, etc. Some manufacturers work around this performance problem by using desktop CPUs for laptops.
- Upgradeability of laptops is very limited compared to desktops, which are thoroughly standardised. In general, hard drives and memory can be upgraded easily.
- Ergonomics and health: Because of their small and flat keyboard and trackpad pointing devices, prolonged use of laptops can cause repetitive strain injury.
- The integrated screen often causes users to hunch over for a better view, which can cause neck or spinal injuries.
- Durability: Due to their portability, laptops are subject to more wear and physical damage than desktops.
- Battery life of laptops is limited.
- Because they are valuable, common, and portable, laptops are prized targets for theft.