The global market size for computers is expected to reach $367 billion in 2021. Over the next few years, demand for computers will increase rapidly, with the industry expanding to an astounding $2025 billion by 2025.
It’s hard to imagine life without computers today. These machines significantly control the way we work, communicate, entertain ourselves, and so on.
From the time they were first invented, computers have come a long way, with many different types of computers on offer today. Gone are the slow and bulky computers of the 20th century. Modern computers are incredibly swift, light, and interconnected.
So, what types of computers can you find on the market at the moment? What should you look for in a computer when buying one?
If you’re asking these questions, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we discuss nine common types of computers so you can tell the best type of computer for you. Read on to learn more.
The Personal Computer (PC)
The PC refers to a computer that’s designed for general use by one person. The term is generally used to refer to computers running on Windows operating system. That being said, note that computers that run on other types of operating systems can also be PCs.
Initially, PCs were known as microcomputers because of their comparatively smaller size compared to huge computer systems designed for businesses.
The first PC hit the scene in 1981 and relied on Microsoft’s operating system MS-DOS. The PC was created by IBM. Later, in 1983, Apple followed suit by producing their first PC, Lisa.
The first PCs had plain computer screens until Apple’s Lisa introduced graphical user interface (GUI) technology. GUI meant that computer screens now had visible icons.
In the years following the PC’s creation, essential components such as RAM and CPU evolved rapidly. Computers became faster and more efficient. More manufacturers entered the scene, producing incredibly powerful PCs that we see today.
Today’s PCs have touch-screens and all kinds of built-in connectivity, including Bluetooth and WiFi. Their operating systems morph every day, as do their shapes and sizes.
Desktop
Before the 1980s, consumers could only buy one format of the PC: the desktop. At the time, these machines were considerably bigger than the desktops we see today.
Early desktops came with large cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors that crowded your workspace. The expectation was that the user would set the computer system in a permanent location.
Desktops are still common today. Many of them offer greater power, more storage, and higher versatility than laptops. Desktops typically cost much less than their portable counterparts, a feature that made them the computer of choice in the 90s when laptops cost a fortune.
As technology evolves and smartphones and laptops dominate the computer world, desktops are slowly heading towards extinction. Thankfully, the products replacing them are just as powerful as the desktop, with the added benefit of being portable.
Laptop
The entry of a portable format of the PC was a huge step for the tech world. Before the mid-1980s, consumers were stuck with the desktop. Engineers hadn’t yet condensed the PC’s sophisticated systems into a smaller and portable box.
The laptop did eventually hit the market, and manufacturers went out of their way to popularize this new PC format. Laptops integrate the keyboard, display, processor, hard drive, and pointing device into one portable package. These devices are battery operated and are slightly larger than the average hardcover book.
Initial commercial laptops were a far cry from the sophisticated devices on the market today. For instance, the Osborne 1, which was the first-ever commercial laptop, weighed a staggering 24 pounds. The laptop had a measly 64 kb of memory and a 5-inch screen.
Thankfully, laptops evolved at a lightning-quick speed, gaining more power and memory and reducing their size and weight. By 2005, laptops had become so popular that they overtook desktops in sales.
Netbooks
A netbook refers to an ultra-portable computer that’s smaller than the ordinary laptop. This device is remarkably cost-effective, with netbooks going for much less than almost any new laptop available on the market today.
The first netbooks appeared on the market in 2007. The devices were primarily a means for surfing the internet and accessing web-based applications, including email, video streaming, and so on.
Netbooks are remarkably compact, which is a huge advantage if you’re looking for a device you can easily carry around. However, their compact design and low price mean that these devices skimp on a lot of features. The devices typically have smaller screens, less storage capacity, and fewer or no data ports.
Since their processors are sluggish and memory limited, netbooks can’t manage the heavy lifting that graphic applications require. These devices are also not suitable for hardcore games.
Tablets
Tablets were first manufactured by Lenovo in 2000. The typical tablet is a thin, flat device that looks like the larger version of a smartphone. Tablets have largely occupied the niche that was initially occupied by netbooks.
A tablet can do almost everything that a laptop can do. However, tablets don’t come with the internal fans that laptops have. Thus, they rely on lower-performing processors that don’t produce as much heat or use as much battery power as their larger counterparts.
The typical tablet has less storage than a traditional PC. Most tablets use the same operating systems that PCs do.
What makes tablets so desirable is their ability to combine the best of both worlds. A tablet lets you enjoy the same functionalities that a laptop does. The device also has smartphone-like capabilities, including allowing you to make and receive voice calls, play games, take photos, and so on.
Handheld Computers
Computers in the early 20th century occupied entire rooms. Today, you can carry a computer with a lot more processing power in your pocket. Smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are just some of the iconic handheld computers of this era.
PDAs debuted in the 1990s. These devices were tightly integrated computers that typically used flash memory rather than hard drives for storage.
PDAs featured no keyboard. Instead, user input relied on touchscreen technology. PDAs were significantly smaller than the typical paperback novel and weighed a lot less. They also had reasonable battery life.
For years, PDAs were the device of choice when it came to calendar, email, and messaging functions.
The smartphone revolution signaled the end of the PDA era. Smartphones blend PDA functionality and calling features with full-blown PC capabilities. These devices get more jaw-dropping every day.
Today’s smartphones feature high-speed processors, touch-screen interfaces, connectivity options, top-notch audio systems, gigabytes of memory, and other astonishing features.
Workstation
A workstation refers to a desktop computer whose capabilities are more enhanced for performing special tasks, such as game development or 3D graphics. Such computers typically have more powerful processors, cutting-edge graphics adapters, and additional memory.
Just like a regular desktop, a workstation is designed for individual use. The main difference between the two is that a workstation is much speedier. Workstations are especially popular in multimedia and engineering companies.
These workhorses don’t come cheap. While a normal desktop costs a few hundred dollars, a basic workstation will set you well over a thousand dollars.
Server
Servers are powerful computers that have been optimized to offer services to other computers over specific networks. A typical server features very powerful processors, extra-large hard drives, and a lot of memory.
The big difference between a server and a PC is that you don’t sit down at it and type. The computer offers computer power to other computers over the internet or on a local area network.
Servers are typically used in small and large businesses to provide information, crunch scientific formulas, process orders, and track shipping information. In many organizations, servers are kept on racks in dedicated server rooms.
A server has the typical computer components found on a regular PC. It has a motherboard, RAM, power supply, video card, and power connections. The computer system may not have a dedicated display as a single monitor is usually used to control and configure multiple servers and combine their computing power.
Wearable
Wearable computers are the most recent trends in the computing world. The technology integrates common computer applications such as email, database, scheduler, and multimedia into wearables. These wearables include watches, visors, and even clothing.
There are wearable computers designed for outdoor enthusiasts and fitness lovers. These devices allow you to track your location, altitude, steps, speed, calories burned, and so on. Besides these functionalities, some wearables have many of the features of a full-blown smartphone, allowing you to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, and so on.
Now You Know the Different Types of Computers
As the world of tech continues to evolve, we’re seeing different types of computers improve in terms of flexibility and potential. And with wearables ushering in a new horizon in the world of computing, we can only look forward to more mind-boggling developments in the industry in the coming years.
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