The term laptop or portable computer has evolved over time, and the definition of a laptop today is not what it always was. According to an article that was written in 1987, portable computers referred to many different electronics from "elaborate hand-help calculators to large, heavy microcomputers" (Coder). Back when this article was written, the size and weight of laptops determined their capabilities--bigger and heavier computers could do more than the computers that were smaller and lightweight, and easily portable for that matter. Now, everyone is looking for the best looking, most modern computer, whether small or big, and portability is the main factor. An issue that needed to be addressed back when laptops started becoming more readily used was how to transfer data from a portable computer to a stationary one. Obviously today this is not a issue that we face by any means.
The earliest mention of laptop computers that I found was in a New York Times article from 1985. Laptops were not originally meant to be used for normal every-day use due to their size and capabilities, rather they were meant for specialized use. This was because the small laptops that could be transported easily did not have many capabilities, and the ones that had larger memories and could do more were very big and heavy. Today it is hard to find a college student without a laptop. People rely on being able to stay connected anywhere and to be able to take their work with them anywhere that they go. Laptops now are getting skinnier and lighter, while the screens get bigger and the memory and capabilities expand.
I think it's really interesting that the best laptops in the past were the biggest and heaviest considering nowadays, the lighter and more portable laptops are, the better they are. I also think that the transferring of information from a portable to stationary computer was such an issue back then because now with internet, iCloud, email, etc. we don't even think twice about the sharing of information. In fact, with iCloud things get streamed to all of our devices automatically.
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