| | | | Personal Computer. The term was first used by IBM for their "IBM PC" from 1981 and came to be used to distinguish IBM-compatible machines from other personal computers that existed at the time such as the Macintosh and time-shared computer terminals that were connected to a mainframe. Initally the terms "personal computer", "microcomputer" and "home computer" were interchangeable. Now, while opinion is still somewhat divided "PC" is generally used to refer to a computer running a Microsoft Windows operating system. The PC was initially a bulky, desktop-only format consisting of a case/box containing (at a minimum) the power supply, motherboard, processor, memory and some form of mass storage device. Input is achieved through a combination of keyboard and mouse clicks and the user interacts via a monitor for output. The mass storage device can take the form of a hard disk drive, zip drive, tape drive, optical drive (CD/DVD) or increasingly, solid state flash storage devices. In addition to these basic requirements other additions include a network card for connecting to other computers, a soundcard, a separate graphics card for more demanding software such as games and design applications and a modem. An ever increasing array of peripherals can be connected to increase useability, such as printers, scanners, cameras, speakers, microphones and alternative input devices such as barcode scanners. Over time the PC has taken on wider variety of form factors, thanks mainly to the ongoing process of miniaturisation - devices in the PC bracket are now available as Desktops, Laptops/Notebooks, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), Portable Computers, Tablets, Wearable Computers and Mobile/Cell Phones. These can be further subdivided based upon the operating system being used, whether it be the "full-blown" incarnation of MS Windows or a trimmed-down version such as Windows CE, Mobile, or Pocket PC used on portable devices. | | | |
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