Editing Laptop (section)

{{Short description|Personal computer for mobile use}}
{{Other uses|Laptop (disambiguation)}}
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{{Update|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}} 
[[File:Laptop collage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|A variety of laptops. Clockwise from top left: A 2021 [[MacBook Pro (Apple silicon)|MacBook Pro]] by [[Apple Inc.]]; a 2019 [[Microsoft]] [[Surface Pro 7]] with detachable hinge ''(left)'' and a 2018 [[Dell XPS#XPS 15 (9570, May 2018)|Dell XPS 15 9570]] with 360 degree hinge ''(right)''; a 2014 [[ThinkPad Helix]] by [[Lenovo]] with detachable screen; and a 2014 [[Acer Inc.|Acer]] [[Chromebook]] 11]]

A '''laptop computer''' or '''notebook computer''', also known as a '''laptop''' or '''notebook''', is a small, portable [[personal computer]] (PC). Laptops typically have a [[Clamshell design|clamshell]] [[form factor (design)|form factor]] with a [[flat-panel]] [[computer screen|screen]] on the inside of the upper lid and an [[alphanumeric keyboard]] and [[pointing device]] on the inside of the lower lid.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introducing Pixel Slate – Pixel Slate Help |url=https://support.google.com/pixelslate/answer/9131383?hl=en |access-date=21 September 2022 |website=support.google.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft Surface Pro 8 review: the best of both worlds |url=https://www.theverge.com/22709876/microsoft-surface-pro-8-review |access-date=21 September 2022 |website=The Verge |date=5 October 2021 }}</ref> Most of the computer's internal hardware is in the lower part, under the keyboard, although many modern laptops have a built-in [[webcam]] at the top of the screen, and some even feature a [[touchscreen]] display. In most cases, unlike [[tablet computer]]s which run on [[mobile operating system]]s, laptops tend to run on desktop operating systems, which were originally developed for [[desktop computer]]s.

Laptops are used in a variety of settings, such as at work (especially on [[business trip]]s), in [[education]], for [[PC game|playing games]], [[Content creation|content creating]], [[web browser|web browsing]], for personal [[multimedia]], and for general [[Personal computer|home computer]] use. They can run on both [[AC power supply|AC power]] and [[rechargable]] [[battery pack]]s and can be folded shut for convenient storage and transportation, making them suitable for [[mobile computing|mobile use]].<ref name="Wikipedia">{{cite web |last=Beal |first=Vangie |date=September 1996 |title=What is Laptop Computer? Webopedia Definition |url=https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/L/laptop_computer.html |access-date=1 December 2022 |website=Webopedia}}</ref> Laptops combine essentially the same [[input/output]] components and capabilities of a desktop computer into a single unit, including a display screen (usually {{cvt|11|-|17|in|disp=or}} in diagonal size), small speakers, a keyboard, and a pointing device (usually [[touchpad]]s). Hardware specifications may vary significantly between different types, models, and [[price point]]s.

The word ''laptop'', modeled after the term ''desktop'' (as in ''desktop computer''), refers to the fact that the computer can be practically placed on the user's [[lap]]; while the word ''notebook'' refers to most laptops being approximately similar in size to a paper [[notebook]]. {{As of|2024}}, in [[American English]], the terms ''laptop'' and ''notebook'' are used interchangeably;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laptop vs desktop: which should you buy? |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/laptop-vs-desktop-which-should-you-buy |access-date=1 August 2021 |website=TechRadar |language=en}}</ref> in other [[dialects of English]], one or the other may be preferred.<ref name="Buzzle" /> The term ''notebook'' originally referred to [[Notebook (laptop)|a type of portable computer]] that was smaller and lighter than mainstream laptops of the time, but has since come to mean the same thing and no longer refers to any specific size.

Design elements, form factors, and construction can also vary significantly between models depending on the intended use. Examples of specialized models of laptops include [[2-in-1 laptop]]s, with keyboards that either be [[2-in-1 detachable|detached]] or [[2-in-1 convertible|pivoted out of view]] from the display (often marketed having a "laptop mode"), and [[rugged computer|rugged laptops]], for use in construction or [[military application]]s. [[Portable computer]]s, which later developed into modern laptops, were originally considered to be a small [[niche market]], mostly for specialized field applications, such as in the military, for accountants, or travelling sales representatives. As portable computers evolved into modern laptops, they became widely used for a variety of purposes.<ref name=NPD>{{cite web|title=U.S. Commercial Channel Computing Device Sales Set to End 2013 with Double-Digit Growth, According to NPD|url=https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/u-s-commercial-channel-computing-device-sales-set-to-end-2013-with-double-digit-growth-according-to-npd/|website=NPD Group|access-date=23 September 2014|archive-date=9 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809082017/https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/u-s-commercial-channel-computing-device-sales-set-to-end-2013-with-double-digit-growth-according-to-npd/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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