Skip to main content

Types Of Computers

 

Desktop computers

showing a desktop computer

Many people use desktop computers at work, home, and school. Desktop computers are designed to be placed on a desk, and they're typically made up of a few different parts, including the computer case, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Laptop computers

showing a laptop computer

The second type of computer you may be familiar with is a laptop computer, commonly called a laptop. Laptops are battery-powered computers that are more portable than desktops, allowing you to use them almost anywhere.

Tablet computers

showing a tablet computer

Tablet computers—or tablets—are handheld computers that are even more portable than laptops. Instead of a keyboard and mouse, tablets use a touch-sensitive screen for typing and navigation. The iPad is an example of a tablet.

Servers

showing servers

A server is a computer that serves up information to other computers on a network. For example, whenever you use the Internet, you're looking at something that's stored on a server. Many businesses also use local file servers to store and share files internally.

Other types of computers

Many of today's electronics are basically specialized computers, though we don't always think of them that way. Here are a few common examples.

  • Smartphones: Many cell phones can do a lot of things computers can do, including browsing the Internet and playing games. They are often called smartphones.
  • Wearables: Wearable technology is a general term for a group of devices—including fitness trackers and smartwatches—that are designed to be worn throughout the day. These devices are often called wearables for short.
  • Game consoles: A game console is a specialized type of computer that is used for playing video games on your TV.
  • TVs: Many TVs now include applications—or apps—that let you access various types of online content. For example, you can stream video from the Internet directly onto your TV.

PCs and Macs

Personal computers come in two main styles: PC and Mac. Both are fully functional, but they have a different look and feel, and many people prefer one or the other.

PCs

showing a pc

This type of computer began with the original IBM PC that was introduced in 1981. Other companies began creating similar computers, which were called IBM PC Compatible (often shortened to PC). Today, this is the most common type of personal computer, and it typically includes the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Macs

showing a mac

The Macintosh computer was introduced in 1984, and it was the first widely sold personal computer with a graphical user interface, or GUI (pronounced gooey). All Macs are made by one company (Apple), and they almost always use the Mac OS X operating system.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding the Cloud

  What is the cloud? You may have heard people using terms like  the cloud ,  cloud computing , or  cloud storage . But what exactly is the cloud? Simply put, the cloud is  the Internet —more specifically, it's all of the things you can  access remotely  over the Internet. When something is  in the cloud , it means it's stored on  Internet   servers  instead of your computer's hard drive. Why use the cloud? Some of the main reasons to use the cloud are  convenience  and  reliability . For example, if you've ever used a  web-based email service , such as  Gmail  or  Yahoo! Mail , you've already used the cloud. All of the emails in a web-based service are stored on servers rather than on your computer's hard drive. This means you can access your email from any computer with an Internet connection. It also means you'll be able to recover your emails if something happens to your computer. Let's look at...
Post a Comment
Read more

Different Types of Mobile Phones and Smartphones

Cell phones have definitely come a long way since the first brick-sized models were released in the early ’90s. These days, there are all sorts of different types of mobile phones on the market. You have your standard  smartphones , like the iPhone and Galaxy line. Then you have your feature phones that don’t have all the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Feature phone Feature phones are simpler than smartphones in terms of hardware and capabilities. They usually don’t have touch screens or powerful processors; instead, they rely on physical buttons for navigation and input. Feature phones tend to be less expensive than their smartphone counterparts but also offer fewer features—they can make calls, send texts, play music/videos, browse the web (in limited capacity), etc., but don’t offer much beyond that. Feature phones have come a long way since their first incarnation decades ago. Today’s feature phones offer users a variety of versatile features and designs. The most common d...
Post a Comment
Read more