Types of Notebook Computer: A Walkthrough

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:36:28 +0100

Selling of laptops or notebook computers have been on an exponential rise these days, beating their desktop counterparts to a large margin. And perhaps an important reason to this meteoritic rise is because of the fact that laptops comes in many different varieties, catering to several type of customers. Desktops, even if they are very versatile and efficient in the processors, come mostly in the same box and shell, with little variation in the accessories that are supplied with them. It’s for these reasons that notebook computers outsell desktops.

Talking about variety, a notebook computer comes in several shapes and sizes. These include Full size laptops, Netbooks and the recent Tablet PCs. Full size laptops are large enough to accommodate a full-size keyboard and a minimum of 11 inches of screen size. Netbooks are a breed of smaller, lighter and more portable laptop. These also come into several variations, such as Mini Netbook and Netbook Android.

Netbook Android is usually of very low cost than a full-size laptop owing to their ultra small size and free OS, but they also have fewer features and less computing power. Plus they have the disadvantage of having smaller keyboards, which can be sometimes very difficult to operate. Further, these Mini Netbooks usually don’t come with an optical drive. Tablet PCs are touch screen based laptops, where the screen doubles as the keyboard to be accessed by touch screen only. They usually come in a slate form factor, with the most famous being Ipad by Apple. There’s also another type of laptops called Rugged laptops, which are engineered to operate in tough conditions (mechanical shocks, extreme temperatures, wet and dusty environments, etc.), and hence are mostly used by scientists or the travelling customers. Rugged laptops are usually designed from scratch, rather than adapted from regular consumer laptop models. These notebooks are bulkier, heavier, and much more expensive than regular laptop.

Another ultraportable type mini netbook, or a subnotebook, is a laptop designed and marketed with an emphasis on portability (small size, low weight and often longer battery life) that retains performance close to that of a standard notebook. Subnotebooks are usually smaller and lighter than standard laptops, weighing between 0.8 and 2 kg (2 to 5 pounds), with the battery life reaching up to 10 hours. Often, people mistake subnotebook as Mini Netbook, but one must note that there is a distinct thin line between subnotebook and Mini Netbook. Another category of laptops exist for the customers demanding more power for the money. These bulky laptops serve as counterparts to their desktop brothers, and are aptly named as Desktop Replacement Laptops. Examples include Media Center Laptop or a dedicated Gaming Laptop.

Concluding on, one can clearly see the variety that engulfs the notebook computers in these modern times. And this variety, along with the added advantage of portability in every shape and size, gives these laptops an edge in the consumer electronics market.

types-of-notebook-computer-a-walkthrough

Types of Notebook Computer: A Walkthrough