Laptop

A laptop (also laptop computer), is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a "" form factor, typically having a thin LCD or LED mounted on the inside of the upper lid of the  and an  on the inside of the lower lid. The clamshell is opened up to use the computer. Laptops are folded shut for transportation, and thus are suitable for. Its name comes from, as it was deemed to be placed on a person's lap when being used. Although originally there was a distinction between laptops and notebooks (the former being bigger and heavier than the latter), as of 2014, there is often no longer any difference. Today, laptops are commonly used in a variety of settings, such as at work, in education, for games, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and general home computer use.

Laptops combine all the components and capabilities of a, including the , , a ,  device, sometimes an optical drive, pointing devices (such as a  or trackpad), with an operating system, a processor and memory into a single unit. Most modern laptops feature integrated webcams and built-in microphones, while many also have touchscreens. Laptops can be powered either from an internal or by an external  from an. Hardware specifications, such as the processor speed and memory capacity, significantly vary between different types, makes, models and s.

Design elements, and construction can also vary significantly between models depending on intended use. Examples of specialized models of laptops include for use in construction or, as well as  laptops such as those from the  (OLPC) organization, which incorporate features like  and semi-flexible components not found on most laptop computers. s, which later developed into modern laptops, were originally considered to be a small, mostly for specialized field applications, such as in the military, for accountants, or for traveling sales representatives. As the portable computers evolved into the modern laptop, they became widely used for a variety of purposes.