<s>
A	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
(	O
PC	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
multi-purpose	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
whose	O
size	O
,	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
price	O
make	O
it	O
feasible	O
for	O
individual	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
operated	O
directly	O
by	O
an	O
end	O
user	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
by	O
a	O
computer	O
expert	O
or	O
technician	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
large	O
,	O
costly	O
minicomputers	B-Architecture
and	O
mainframes	B-Architecture
,	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
by	O
many	O
people	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
is	O
not	O
used	O
with	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
users	O
may	O
develop	O
their	O
own	O
applications	O
,	O
usually	O
these	O
systems	O
run	O
commercial	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
free-of-charge	O
software	O
(	O
"	O
freeware	B-License
"	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
most	O
often	O
proprietary	O
,	O
or	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
software	I-License
,	O
which	O
is	O
provided	O
in	O
"	O
ready-to-run	O
"	O
,	O
or	O
binary	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
for	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
is	O
typically	O
developed	O
and	O
distributed	O
independently	O
from	O
the	O
hardware	B-Architecture
or	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
manufacturers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
users	O
no	O
longer	O
need	O
to	O
write	O
their	O
own	O
programs	O
to	O
make	O
any	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
although	O
end-user	O
programming	O
is	O
still	O
feasible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
and	O
Intel	O
hardware	B-Architecture
dominated	B-Device
much	I-Device
of	I-Device
the	I-Device
personal	I-Device
computer	I-Device
market	I-Device
,	O
first	O
with	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
and	O
then	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatives	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
occupy	O
a	O
minority	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
include	O
Apple	O
's	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
,	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
,	O
such	O
as	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advent	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
and	O
the	O
concurrent	O
Digital	O
Revolution	O
have	O
significantly	O
affected	O
the	O
lives	O
of	O
people	O
in	O
all	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
PC	O
"	O
is	O
an	O
initialism	O
for	O
"	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
Personal	I-Device
Computer	I-Device
incorporated	O
the	O
designation	O
in	O
its	O
model	O
name	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
originally	O
described	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
of	O
any	O
brand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
contexts	O
,	O
"	O
PC	O
"	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
contrast	O
with	O
"	O
Mac	B-Device
"	O
,	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
none	O
of	O
these	O
Apple	O
products	O
were	O
mainframes	B-Architecture
or	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
they	O
were	O
all	O
"	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
"	O
and	O
not	O
"	O
PC	O
"	O
(	O
brand	O
)	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
ENIAC	B-Device
which	O
became	O
operational	O
in	O
1946	O
could	O
be	O
run	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
albeit	O
highly	O
trained	O
,	O
person	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
mode	O
pre-dated	O
the	O
batch	O
programming	O
,	O
or	O
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
modes	O
with	O
multiple	O
users	O
connected	O
through	O
terminals	B-General_Concept
to	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computers	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
such	O
systems	O
as	O
the	O
Bendix	B-Device
G15	I-Device
and	O
LGP-30	B-Device
of	O
1956	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Soviet	O
MIR	B-Device
series	O
of	O
computers	O
developed	O
from	O
1965	O
to	O
1969	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
,	O
people	O
in	O
academic	O
or	O
research	O
institutions	O
had	O
the	O
opportunity	O
for	O
single-person	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
system	I-Device
in	O
interactive	O
mode	O
for	O
extended	O
durations	O
,	O
although	O
these	O
systems	O
would	O
still	O
have	O
been	O
too	O
expensive	O
to	O
be	O
owned	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
person	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
was	O
made	O
possible	O
by	O
major	O
advances	O
in	O
semiconductor	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1959	O
,	O
the	O
silicon	O
integrated	O
circuit	O
(	O
IC	O
)	O
chip	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Robert	O
Noyce	O
at	O
Fairchild	O
Semiconductor	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
metal	B-Architecture
–	I-Architecture
oxide	I-Architecture
–	I-Architecture
semiconductor	I-Architecture
(	O
MOS	O
)	O
transistor	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Mohamed	O
Atalla	O
and	O
Dawon	O
Kahng	O
at	O
Bell	O
Labs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Faggin	O
later	O
used	O
silicon-gate	O
MOS	B-Architecture
technology	I-Architecture
to	O
develop	O
the	O
first	O
single-chip	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
,	O
the	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
4004	I-General_Concept
,	O
in	O
1971	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
,	O
based	O
on	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
,	O
were	O
developed	O
during	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Widespread	O
commercial	O
availability	O
of	O
microprocessors	B-Architecture
,	O
from	O
the	O
mid-1970s	O
onwards	O
,	O
made	O
computers	O
cheap	O
enough	O
for	O
small	O
businesses	O
and	O
individuals	O
to	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
what	O
was	O
later	O
to	O
be	O
called	O
the	O
Mother	O
of	O
All	O
Demos	O
,	O
SRI	O
researcher	O
Douglas	O
Engelbart	O
in	O
1968	O
gave	O
a	O
preview	O
of	O
features	O
that	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
staples	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
:	O
e-mail	O
,	O
hypertext	O
,	O
word	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
,	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
demonstration	O
required	O
technical	O
support	O
staff	O
and	O
a	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
time-sharing	B-General_Concept
computer	O
that	O
were	O
far	O
too	O
costly	O
for	O
individual	O
business	O
use	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minimal	O
programming	O
was	O
done	O
with	O
toggle	O
switches	O
to	O
enter	O
instructions	O
,	O
and	O
output	O
was	O
provided	O
by	O
front	B-Device
panel	I-Device
lamps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Practical	O
use	O
required	O
adding	O
peripherals	O
such	O
as	O
keyboards	B-Device
,	O
computer	B-Device
displays	I-Device
,	O
disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
and	O
printers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Micral	B-Device
N	I-Device
was	O
the	O
earliest	O
commercial	O
,	O
non-kit	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
based	O
on	O
a	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
,	O
the	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
8008	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
had	O
been	O
preceded	O
by	O
the	O
Datapoint	B-Device
2200	I-Device
in	O
1970	O
,	O
for	O
which	O
the	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
8008	I-General_Concept
had	O
been	O
commissioned	O
,	O
though	O
not	O
accepted	O
for	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
design	O
implemented	O
in	O
the	O
Datapoint	B-Device
2200	I-Device
became	O
the	O
basis	O
for	O
x86	B-Operating_System
architecture	I-Operating_System
used	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
and	O
its	O
descendants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1973	O
,	O
the	O
IBM	O
Los	O
Gatos	O
Scientific	O
Center	O
developed	O
a	O
portable	B-Device
computer	I-Device
prototype	O
called	O
SCAMP	O
(	O
Special	O
Computer	O
APL	B-Language
Machine	O
Portable	O
)	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PALM	I-Device
processor	I-Device
with	O
a	O
Philips	O
compact	O
cassette	O
drive	O
,	O
small	O
CRT	B-Device
,	O
and	O
full	O
function	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
SCAMP	O
emulated	O
an	O
IBM	B-Device
1130	I-Device
minicomputer	B-Architecture
in	O
order	O
to	O
run	O
APL/1130	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1973	O
,	O
APL	B-Language
was	O
generally	O
available	O
only	O
on	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computers	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
most	O
desktop	B-Device
sized	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
such	O
as	O
the	O
Wang	B-Language
2200	I-Language
or	O
HP	B-Device
9800	I-Device
offered	O
only	O
BASIC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
SCAMP	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
emulate	O
APL/1130	O
performance	O
on	O
a	O
portable	O
,	O
single	O
user	O
computer	O
,	O
PC	O
Magazine	O
in	O
1983	O
designated	O
SCAMP	O
a	O
"	O
revolutionary	O
concept	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
first	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
seminal	O
,	O
single	O
user	O
portable	B-Device
computer	I-Device
now	O
resides	O
in	O
the	O
Smithsonian	O
Institution	O
,	O
Washington	O
,	O
C	O
..	O
</s>
<s>
Successful	O
demonstrations	O
of	O
the	O
1973	O
SCAMP	O
prototype	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
5100	I-Device
portable	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
launched	O
in	O
1975	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
be	O
programmed	O
in	O
both	O
APL	B-Language
and	O
BASIC	O
for	O
engineers	O
,	O
analysts	O
,	O
statisticians	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
business	O
problem-solvers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
desktop	B-Device
portable	O
APL	B-Language
machine	O
,	O
the	O
MCM/70	B-Device
,	O
was	O
demonstrated	O
in	O
1973	O
and	O
shipped	O
in	O
1974	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
used	O
the	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
8008	I-General_Concept
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
seminal	O
step	O
in	O
personal	B-Device
computing	I-Device
was	O
the	O
1973	O
Xerox	B-Device
Alto	I-Device
,	O
developed	O
at	O
Xerox	O
's	O
Palo	O
Alto	B-Device
Research	O
Center	O
(	O
PARC	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
which	O
later	O
served	O
as	O
inspiration	O
for	O
Apple	B-Device
's	I-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Alto	B-Device
was	O
a	O
demonstration	O
project	O
,	O
not	O
commercialized	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
parts	O
were	O
too	O
expensive	O
to	O
be	O
affordable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
1973	O
Hewlett	B-Device
Packard	I-Device
introduced	O
fully	O
BASIC	O
programmable	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
that	O
fit	O
entirely	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
a	O
desk	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
a	O
small	O
one-line	O
display	O
,	O
and	O
printer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wang	B-Language
2200	I-Language
microcomputer	B-Architecture
of	O
1973	O
had	O
a	O
full-size	O
cathode	B-Device
ray	I-Device
tube	I-Device
(	O
CRT	B-Device
)	O
and	O
cassette	O
tape	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1974	O
saw	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
what	O
is	O
considered	O
by	O
many	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
true	O
"	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
"	O
,	O
the	O
Altair	B-Architecture
8800	I-Architecture
created	O
by	O
Micro	O
Instrumentation	O
and	O
Telemetry	O
Systems	O
(	O
MITS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
8-bit	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
8080	I-General_Concept
Microprocessor	B-Architecture
,	O
the	O
Altair	O
is	O
widely	O
recognized	O
as	O
the	O
spark	O
that	O
ignited	O
the	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
revolution	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
commercially	O
successful	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
computer	B-General_Concept
bus	I-General_Concept
designed	O
for	O
the	O
Altair	O
was	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
de	O
facto	O
standard	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
the	O
S-100	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
programming	O
language	O
for	O
the	O
machine	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
founding	O
product	O
,	O
Altair	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1976	O
,	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
and	O
Steve	O
Wozniak	O
sold	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
I	I-Device
computer	I-Device
circuit	O
board	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
fully	O
prepared	O
and	O
contained	O
about	O
30	O
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
I	I-Device
computer	I-Device
differed	O
from	O
the	O
other	O
kit-style	O
hobby	O
computers	O
of	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
request	O
of	O
Paul	O
Terrell	O
,	O
owner	O
of	O
the	O
Byte	O
Shop	O
,	O
Jobs	O
and	O
Wozniak	O
were	O
given	O
their	O
first	O
purchase	O
order	O
,	O
for	O
50	O
Apple	B-Device
I	I-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
only	O
if	O
the	O
computers	O
were	O
assembled	O
and	O
tested	O
and	O
not	O
a	O
kit	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Apple	B-Device
I	I-Device
as	O
delivered	O
was	O
still	O
technically	O
a	O
kit	O
computer	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
case	O
,	O
or	O
keyboard	B-Device
when	O
it	O
was	O
delivered	O
to	O
the	O
Byte	O
Shop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
successfully	O
mass-marketed	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
to	O
be	O
announced	O
was	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
after	O
being	O
revealed	O
in	O
January	O
1977	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
months	O
later	O
(	O
April	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
(	O
usually	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Apple	O
"	O
)	O
was	O
announced	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
units	O
being	O
shipped	O
10	O
June	O
1977	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
from	O
Tandy	O
Corporation	O
/	O
Tandy	O
Radio	O
Shack	O
following	O
in	O
August	O
1977	O
,	O
which	O
sold	O
over	O
100,000	O
units	O
during	O
its	O
lifetime	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mass-market	O
,	O
ready-assembled	O
computers	O
had	O
arrived	O
,	O
and	O
allowed	O
a	O
wider	O
range	O
of	O
people	O
to	O
use	O
computers	O
,	O
focusing	O
more	O
on	O
software	B-Application
applications	I-Application
and	O
less	O
on	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
processor	O
hardware	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1977	O
the	O
Heath	O
company	O
introduced	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
kits	O
known	O
as	O
Heathkits	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
the	O
Heathkit	B-Device
H8	I-Device
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Heathkit	O
H89	O
in	O
late	O
1979	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
purchase	O
of	O
the	O
Heathkit	B-Device
H8	I-Device
you	O
would	O
obtain	O
the	O
chassis	O
and	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
card	O
to	O
assemble	O
yourself	O
,	O
additional	O
hardware	B-Architecture
such	O
as	O
the	O
H8-1	O
memory	B-General_Concept
board	O
that	O
contained	O
4k	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
could	O
also	O
be	O
purchased	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
run	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Heathkit	O
H11	O
model	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1978	O
and	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
16-bit	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
;	O
however	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
high	O
retail	O
cost	O
of	O
$	O
1,295	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
1982	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
typically	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
a	O
television	O
already	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
as	O
the	O
computer	B-Device
display	I-Device
,	O
with	O
low-detail	O
blocky	O
graphics	O
and	O
a	O
limited	O
color	O
range	O
,	O
and	O
text	O
about	O
40	O
characters	O
wide	O
by	O
25	O
characters	O
tall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sinclair	O
Research	O
,	O
a	O
UK	O
company	O
,	O
produced	O
the	O
ZX	O
Seriesthe	O
ZX80	B-Operating_System
(	O
1980	O
)	O
,	O
ZX81	O
(	O
1981	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
;	O
the	O
latter	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
1982	O
,	O
and	O
totaled	O
8	O
million	O
unit	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
came	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
totaled	O
17	O
million	O
units	O
sold	O
and	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
series	O
(	O
464	O
–	O
6128	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
NEC	B-Operating_System
PC-98	I-Operating_System
was	O
introduced	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
very	O
popular	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
that	O
sold	O
in	O
more	O
than	O
18	O
million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
famous	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
the	O
revolutionary	O
Amiga	B-Device
1000	I-Device
,	O
was	O
unveiled	O
by	O
Commodore	O
on	O
23	O
July	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Amiga	B-Device
1000	I-Device
featured	O
a	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
,	O
windowing	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
color	O
graphics	O
with	O
a	O
4096-color	O
palette	O
,	O
stereo	O
sound	O
,	O
Motorola	O
68000	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
256KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
880KB	O
3.5-inch	O
disk	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
for	O
US$	O
1,295	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
's	O
first	O
PC	O
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
12	O
August	O
1981	O
setting	O
what	O
became	O
a	O
mass	O
market	O
standard	O
for	O
PC	O
architecture	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
microprocessor-based	O
systems	O
were	O
still	O
less	O
costly	O
than	O
time-shared	O
mainframes	B-Architecture
or	O
minicomputers	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Workstations	B-Device
were	O
characterized	O
by	O
high-performance	O
processors	O
and	O
graphics	O
displays	O
,	O
with	O
large-capacity	O
local	O
disk	B-Device
storage	I-Device
,	O
networking	O
capability	O
,	O
and	O
running	O
under	O
a	O
multitasking	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
influence	B-Device
of	I-Device
the	I-Device
IBM	I-Device
PC	I-Device
on	I-Device
the	I-Device
personal	I-Device
computer	I-Device
market	I-Device
,	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
and	O
home	O
computers	O
lost	O
any	O
technical	O
distinction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
computers	O
acquired	O
color	O
graphics	O
capability	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
and	O
home	O
computers	O
and	O
game	O
systems	O
users	O
used	O
the	O
same	O
processors	O
and	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
as	O
office	O
workers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mass-market	O
computers	O
had	O
graphics	O
capabilities	O
and	O
memory	B-General_Concept
comparable	O
to	O
dedicated	O
workstations	B-Device
of	O
a	O
few	O
years	O
before	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
networking	I-General_Concept
,	O
originally	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
allow	O
business	O
computers	O
to	O
share	O
expensive	O
mass	O
storage	O
and	O
peripherals	O
,	O
became	O
a	O
standard	O
feature	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
used	O
at	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
increasingly	O
important	O
set	O
of	O
uses	O
for	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
relied	O
on	O
the	O
ability	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
other	O
computer	O
systems	O
,	O
allowing	O
interchange	O
of	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Experimental	O
public	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
shared	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
system	O
was	O
demonstrated	O
as	O
early	O
as	O
1973	O
in	O
the	O
Community	O
Memory	B-General_Concept
project	O
,	O
but	O
bulletin	B-Application
board	I-Application
systems	I-Application
and	O
online	O
service	O
providers	O
became	O
more	O
commonly	O
available	O
after	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
combination	O
of	O
powerful	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
with	O
high-resolution	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
infrastructure	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
standardization	O
of	O
access	O
methods	O
of	O
the	O
Web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
,	O
established	O
the	O
foundation	O
for	O
a	O
significant	O
fraction	O
of	O
modern	O
life	O
,	O
from	O
bus	B-General_Concept
time	O
tables	O
through	O
unlimited	O
distribution	O
of	O
free	O
videos	O
through	O
to	O
online	O
user-edited	O
encyclopedias	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
workstation	B-Device
is	O
a	O
high-end	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
designed	O
for	O
technical	O
,	O
mathematical	O
,	O
or	O
scientific	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intended	O
primarily	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
one	O
person	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
commonly	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
and	O
run	O
multi-user	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Workstations	B-Device
are	O
used	O
for	O
tasks	O
such	O
as	O
computer-aided	B-Application
design	I-Application
,	O
drafting	O
and	O
modeling	O
,	O
computation-intensive	O
scientific	O
and	O
engineering	O
calculations	O
,	O
image	O
processing	O
,	O
architectural	O
modeling	O
,	O
and	O
computer	O
graphics	O
for	O
animation	O
and	O
motion	O
picture	O
visual	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
widespread	O
use	O
of	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
a	O
computer	O
that	O
could	O
fit	O
on	O
a	O
desk	O
was	O
remarkably	O
small	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
desktop	B-Device
"	O
nomenclature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recently	O
,	O
the	O
phrase	O
usually	O
indicates	O
a	O
particular	O
style	O
of	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
come	O
in	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
styles	O
ranging	O
from	O
large	O
vertical	O
tower	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
to	O
small	O
models	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
tucked	O
behind	O
or	O
rest	O
directly	O
beneath	O
(	O
and	O
support	O
)	O
LCD	B-Device
monitors	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
desktop	B-Device
"	O
often	O
refers	O
to	O
a	O
computer	O
with	O
a	O
vertically	O
aligned	O
computer	B-General_Concept
tower	I-General_Concept
case	O
,	O
these	O
varieties	O
often	O
rest	O
on	O
the	O
ground	O
or	O
underneath	O
desks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
this	O
seeming	O
contradiction	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
desktop	B-Device
"	O
does	O
typically	O
refer	O
to	O
these	O
vertical	O
tower	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
horizontally	O
aligned	O
models	O
which	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
literally	O
rest	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
desks	O
and	O
are	O
therefore	O
more	O
appropriate	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
desktop	B-Device
"	O
term	O
,	O
although	O
both	O
types	O
qualify	O
for	O
this	O
"	O
desktop	B-Device
"	O
label	O
in	O
most	O
practical	O
situations	O
aside	O
from	O
certain	O
physical	O
arrangement	O
differences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
styles	O
of	O
these	O
computer	B-General_Concept
cases	I-General_Concept
hold	O
the	O
systems	O
hardware	B-Architecture
components	B-Architecture
such	O
as	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
,	O
processor	O
chip	O
and	O
other	O
internal	O
operating	O
parts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
have	O
an	O
external	O
monitor	B-Device
with	O
a	O
display	O
screen	O
and	O
an	O
external	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
which	O
are	O
plugged	O
into	O
ports	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
the	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
popular	O
for	O
home	O
and	O
business	O
computing	O
applications	O
as	O
they	O
leave	O
space	O
on	O
the	O
desk	O
for	O
multiple	B-General_Concept
monitors	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
gaming	B-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
a	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
that	O
generally	O
comprises	O
a	O
high-performance	O
video	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
processor	O
and	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
speed	O
and	O
responsiveness	O
of	O
demanding	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
all-in-one	B-Device
computer	I-Device
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
single-unit	O
PCs	B-Device
)	O
is	O
a	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
that	O
combines	O
the	O
monitor	B-Device
and	O
processor	O
within	O
a	O
single	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
separate	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
mouse	B-Device
are	O
standard	O
input	O
devices	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
monitors	O
including	O
touchscreen	B-Device
capability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
processor	O
and	O
other	O
working	O
components	B-Architecture
are	O
typically	O
reduced	O
in	O
size	O
relative	O
to	O
standard	O
desktops	O
,	O
located	O
behind	O
the	O
monitor	B-Device
,	O
and	O
configured	O
similarly	O
to	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
nettop	B-Protocol
computer	O
was	O
introduced	O
by	O
Intel	O
in	O
February	O
2008	O
,	O
characterized	O
by	O
low	O
cost	O
and	O
lean	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
were	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
an	O
Internet	O
connection	O
to	O
run	O
Web	B-Application
browsers	I-Application
and	O
Internet	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Home	O
theater	O
PC	O
(	O
HTPC	O
)	O
combines	O
the	O
functions	O
of	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
and	O
a	O
digital	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorder	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
TV	O
set	O
or	O
an	O
appropriately	O
sized	O
computer	B-Device
display	I-Device
,	O
and	O
is	O
often	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
digital	O
photo	O
viewer	O
,	O
music	O
and	O
video	O
player	O
,	O
TV	O
receiver	O
,	O
and	O
digital	B-Application
video	I-Application
recorder	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
HTPCs	O
are	O
also	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
media	O
center	O
systems	O
or	O
media	B-Application
servers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
combine	O
many	O
or	O
all	O
components	B-Architecture
of	O
a	O
home	O
theater	O
setup	O
into	O
one	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HTPCs	O
can	O
be	O
purchased	O
pre-configured	O
with	O
the	O
required	O
hardware	B-Architecture
and	O
software	O
needed	O
to	O
add	O
television	O
programming	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
or	O
can	O
be	O
assembled	O
from	O
components	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Keyboard	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
computers	O
inside	O
of	O
keyboards	B-Device
,	O
generally	O
still	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
an	O
external	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
or	O
television	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
,	O
Raspberry	O
Pi	O
400	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
potential	O
utility	O
of	O
portable	B-Device
computers	I-Device
was	O
apparent	O
early	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alan	O
Kay	O
described	O
the	O
Dynabook	B-General_Concept
in	O
1972	O
,	O
but	O
no	O
hardware	B-Architecture
was	O
developed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xerox	B-Device
NoteTaker	I-Device
was	O
produced	O
in	O
a	O
very	O
small	O
experimental	O
batch	O
around	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1975	O
,	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
5100	I-Device
could	O
be	O
fit	O
into	O
a	O
transport	O
case	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
a	O
portable	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
but	O
it	O
weighed	O
about	O
50	O
pounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
portable	B-Device
computers	I-Device
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
processor	O
,	O
display	O
,	O
disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
in	O
a	O
suit-case	O
style	O
portable	O
housing	O
,	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
bring	O
a	O
computer	O
home	O
from	O
the	O
office	O
or	O
to	O
take	O
notes	O
at	O
a	O
classroom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
include	O
the	O
Osborne	B-Device
1	I-Device
and	O
Kaypro	O
;	O
and	O
the	O
Commodore	O
SX-64	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
machines	O
were	O
AC-powered	O
and	O
included	O
a	O
small	O
CRT	B-Device
display	I-Device
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
integrated	O
CRT	B-Device
display	I-Device
made	O
for	O
a	O
relatively	O
heavy	O
package	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
machines	O
were	O
more	O
portable	O
than	O
their	O
contemporary	O
desktop	B-Device
equals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
models	O
had	O
standard	O
or	O
optional	O
connections	O
to	O
drive	O
an	O
external	O
video	O
monitor	B-Device
,	O
allowing	O
a	O
larger	O
screen	O
or	O
use	O
with	O
video	O
projectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IBM	O
PC-compatible	O
suitcase	O
format	O
computers	O
became	O
available	O
soon	O
after	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Compaq	B-Device
Portable	I-Device
being	O
a	O
leading	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
type	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
models	O
included	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
to	O
give	O
roughly	O
equivalent	O
performance	O
to	O
contemporary	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screen	O
formed	O
one	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
enclosure	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
detachable	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
half-height	O
floppy	O
disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
mounted	O
facing	O
the	O
ends	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notebook	B-Device
computers	I-Device
such	O
as	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Operating_System
Model	I-Operating_System
100	I-Operating_System
and	O
Epson	B-Device
HX-20	I-Device
had	O
roughly	O
the	O
plan	O
dimensions	O
of	O
a	O
sheet	O
of	O
typing	O
paper	O
(	O
ANSI	O
A	O
or	O
ISO	O
A4	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
machines	O
had	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
with	O
slightly	O
reduced	O
dimensions	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
a	O
fixed	O
LCD	O
display	O
screen	O
coplanar	O
with	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
usually	O
include	O
internal	O
disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
this	O
form	O
factor	O
often	O
included	O
a	O
modem	B-Application
for	O
telephone	O
communication	O
and	O
often	O
had	O
provisions	O
for	O
external	O
cassette	O
or	O
disk	B-Device
storage	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
clam-shell	O
format	O
laptop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
with	O
similar	O
small	O
plan	O
dimensions	O
were	O
also	O
called	O
"	O
notebooks	B-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
laptop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
designed	O
for	O
portability	O
with	O
"	O
clamshell	O
"	O
design	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
computer	B-Architecture
components	I-Architecture
are	O
on	O
one	O
panel	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
hinged	O
second	O
panel	O
containing	O
a	O
flat	O
display	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Closing	O
the	O
laptop	B-Device
protects	O
the	O
screen	O
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
during	O
transportation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptops	B-Device
generally	O
have	O
a	O
rechargeable	O
battery	O
,	O
enhancing	O
their	O
portability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
save	O
power	O
,	O
weight	O
and	O
space	O
,	O
laptop	B-Device
graphics	O
chips	O
are	O
in	O
many	O
cases	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
or	O
chipset	O
and	O
use	O
system	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
reduced	O
graphics	O
performance	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
desktop	B-Device
machines	O
,	O
that	O
more	O
typically	O
have	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
reason	O
,	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
are	O
usually	O
preferred	O
over	O
laptops	B-Device
for	O
gaming	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
only	O
minor	O
internal	O
upgrades	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
memory	B-General_Concept
and	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
)	O
are	O
feasible	O
owing	O
to	O
the	O
limited	O
space	O
and	O
power	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptops	B-Device
have	O
the	O
same	O
input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
output	I-General_Concept
ports	O
as	O
desktops	O
,	O
for	O
connecting	O
to	O
external	O
displays	O
,	O
mice	O
,	O
cameras	O
,	O
storage	O
devices	O
and	O
keyboards	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laptops	B-Device
are	O
also	O
a	O
little	O
more	O
expensive	O
compared	O
to	O
desktops	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
miniaturized	O
components	B-Architecture
for	O
laptops	B-Device
themselves	O
are	O
expensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
desktop	B-Application
replacement	I-Application
computer	I-Application
is	O
a	O
portable	B-Device
computer	I-Device
that	O
provides	O
the	O
full	O
capabilities	O
of	O
a	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
computers	O
are	O
currently	O
large	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
class	O
of	O
computers	O
usually	O
includes	O
more	O
powerful	O
components	B-Architecture
and	O
a	O
larger	O
display	O
than	O
generally	O
found	O
in	O
smaller	O
portable	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
and	O
may	O
have	O
limited	O
battery	O
capacity	O
or	O
no	O
battery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Netbooks	B-Device
,	O
also	O
called	O
mini	B-Device
notebooks	I-Device
or	O
subnotebooks	B-Device
,	O
were	O
a	O
subgroup	O
of	O
laptops	B-Device
suited	O
for	O
general	O
computing	O
tasks	O
and	O
accessing	O
web-based	B-Application
applications	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
the	O
primary	O
defining	O
characteristic	O
of	O
netbooks	B-Device
was	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
an	O
optical	B-Device
disc	I-Device
drive	O
,	O
smaller	O
size	O
,	O
and	O
lower	O
performance	O
than	O
full-size	O
laptops	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
mid-2009	O
netbooks	B-Device
had	O
been	O
offered	O
to	O
users	O
"	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
extended	O
service	O
contract	O
purchase	O
of	O
a	O
cellular	B-Protocol
data	O
plan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultrabooks	B-Device
and	O
Chromebooks	B-Operating_System
have	O
since	O
filled	O
the	O
gap	O
left	O
by	O
Netbooks	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
generic	O
Netbook	B-Device
name	O
,	O
Ultrabook	B-Device
and	O
Chromebook	B-Operating_System
are	O
technically	O
both	O
specifications	O
by	O
Intel	O
and	O
Google	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
tablet	B-Device
uses	O
a	O
touchscreen	B-Device
display	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
controlled	O
using	O
either	O
a	O
stylus	B-Operating_System
pen	O
or	O
finger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
tablets	B-Device
may	O
use	O
a	O
"	O
hybrid	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
convertible	O
"	O
design	O
,	O
offering	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
that	O
can	O
either	O
be	O
removed	O
as	O
an	O
attachment	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
screen	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
rotated	O
and	O
folded	O
directly	O
over	O
top	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
tablets	B-Device
may	O
use	O
desktop-PC	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
or	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
or	O
may	O
run	O
an	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
designed	O
primarily	O
for	O
tablets	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
have	O
USB	O
ports	O
,	O
to	O
which	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
or	O
mouse	B-Device
can	O
be	O
connected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smartphones	B-Application
are	O
often	O
similar	O
to	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
the	O
difference	O
being	O
that	O
smartphones	B-Application
always	O
have	O
cellular	B-Protocol
integration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
generally	O
smaller	O
than	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
and	O
may	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
slate	O
form	O
factor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ultra-mobile	O
PC	O
(	O
UMP	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
small	O
tablet	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Current	O
UMPCs	O
typically	O
feature	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	O
,	O
Windows7	O
,	O
or	O
Linux	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
and	O
low-voltage	O
Intel	B-Device
Atom	I-Device
or	O
VIA	B-Device
C7-M	I-Device
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
pocket	B-Device
PC	I-Device
is	O
a	O
hardware	B-Architecture
specification	O
for	O
a	O
handheld-sized	O
computer	O
(	O
personal	B-Application
digital	I-Application
assistant	I-Application
,	O
PDA	B-Application
)	O
that	O
runs	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Windows	I-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
may	O
have	O
the	O
capability	O
to	O
run	O
an	O
alternative	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
like	O
NetBSD	B-Device
or	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pocket	O
PCs	B-Device
have	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
desktop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
applications	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
handhelds	O
adhering	O
to	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Pocket	B-Device
PC	I-Device
specification	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
freeware	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft-compliant	O
Pocket	O
PCs	B-Device
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
with	O
many	O
other	O
add-ons	O
like	O
GPS	O
receivers	O
,	O
barcode	O
readers	O
,	O
RFID	B-Application
readers	O
and	O
cameras	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
6	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
dropped	O
the	O
name	O
Pocket	B-Device
PC	I-Device
in	O
favor	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
naming	O
scheme	O
:	O
devices	O
without	O
an	O
integrated	O
phone	O
are	O
called	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
Classic	O
instead	O
of	O
Pocket	B-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
while	O
devices	O
with	O
an	O
integrated	O
phone	O
and	O
a	O
touch	B-Device
screen	I-Device
are	O
called	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
Mobile	I-Operating_System
Professional	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Palmtop	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
were	O
miniature	O
pocket-sized	O
computers	O
running	O
DOS	B-Device
that	O
first	O
came	O
about	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
,	O
typically	O
in	O
a	O
clamshell	O
form	O
factor	O
with	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-x86	O
based	O
devices	O
were	O
often	O
called	O
palmtop	B-Operating_System
computers	I-Operating_System
,	O
examples	O
being	O
Psion	B-Application
Series	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
later	O
years	O
a	O
hardware	B-Architecture
specification	O
called	O
Handheld	B-Operating_System
PC	I-Operating_System
was	O
later	O
released	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
that	O
run	O
the	O
Windows	B-Operating_System
CE	I-Operating_System
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Architecture
hardware	I-Architecture
is	O
a	O
comprehensive	O
term	O
for	O
all	O
physical	O
and	O
tangible	O
parts	O
of	O
a	O
computer	O
,	O
as	O
distinguished	O
from	O
the	O
data	O
it	O
contains	O
or	O
operates	O
on	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
software	O
that	O
provides	O
instructions	O
for	O
the	O
hardware	B-Architecture
to	O
accomplish	O
tasks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
sub-systems	O
of	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
may	O
contain	O
processors	O
that	O
run	O
a	O
fixed	O
program	O
,	O
or	O
firmware	B-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Firmware	B-Application
usually	O
is	O
not	O
changed	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
user	O
of	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
2010s	O
and	O
2020s-era	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
require	O
users	O
only	O
to	O
plug	O
in	O
the	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
monitor	B-Device
,	O
and	O
other	O
cables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
typical	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
consists	O
of	O
a	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
(	O
or	O
"	O
tower	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
metal	O
chassis	O
that	O
holds	O
the	O
power	O
supply	O
,	O
motherboard	B-Device
,	O
a	O
storage	O
device	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
or	O
solid-state	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
and	O
often	O
an	O
optical	B-Device
disc	I-Device
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
towers	O
have	O
empty	O
space	O
where	O
users	O
can	O
add	O
additional	O
components	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
External	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
or	O
visual	B-Device
display	I-Device
unit	I-Device
,	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
pointing	B-Device
device	I-Device
(	O
mouse	B-Device
)	O
are	O
usually	O
found	O
in	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
motherboard	B-Device
connects	O
all	O
processor	O
,	O
memory	B-General_Concept
and	O
peripheral	O
devices	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
and	O
processor	O
are	O
in	O
most	O
cases	O
mounted	O
directly	O
onto	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
(	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
chip	O
)	O
plugs	O
into	O
a	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
socket	I-General_Concept
,	O
while	O
the	O
ram	B-Architecture
modules	O
plug	O
into	O
corresponding	O
ram	B-Architecture
sockets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
motherboards	B-Device
have	O
the	O
video	B-Device
display	I-Device
adapter	I-Device
,	O
sound	O
and	O
other	O
peripherals	O
integrated	O
onto	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
,	O
while	O
others	O
use	O
expansion	B-Device
slots	I-Device
for	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
network	O
cards	O
,	O
or	O
other	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
devices	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
or	O
sound	O
card	O
may	O
employ	O
a	O
break	B-Protocol
out	I-Protocol
box	I-Protocol
to	O
keep	O
the	O
analog	O
parts	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
electromagnetic	O
radiation	O
inside	O
the	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
which	O
provide	O
mass	O
storage	O
,	O
are	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
with	O
one	O
cable	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
the	O
power	O
supply	O
through	O
another	O
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usually	O
,	O
disk	B-Device
drives	I-Device
are	O
mounted	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
case	O
as	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
;	O
expansion	O
chassis	O
are	O
also	O
made	O
for	O
additional	O
disk	B-Device
storage	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
large	O
amounts	O
of	O
data	O
,	O
a	O
tape	O
drive	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
or	O
extra	O
hard	B-Device
disks	I-Device
can	O
be	O
put	O
together	O
in	O
an	O
external	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
are	O
external	O
devices	O
plugged	O
into	O
the	O
computer	O
through	O
connectors	O
on	O
an	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
panel	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
the	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
monitor	B-Device
is	O
also	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
input/output	B-General_Concept
(	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
)	O
panel	O
,	O
either	O
through	O
an	O
onboard	O
port	O
on	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
,	O
or	O
a	O
port	O
on	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
's	O
hardware	B-Architecture
can	O
sometimes	O
be	O
extended	O
by	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
expansion	B-Device
cards	I-Device
connected	O
via	O
an	O
expansion	B-Device
bus	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Standard	O
peripheral	O
buses	O
often	O
used	O
for	O
adding	O
expansion	B-Device
cards	I-Device
in	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
include	O
PCI	B-Protocol
,	O
PCI	B-Protocol
Express	O
(	O
PCIe	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
AGP	B-Architecture
(	O
a	O
high-speed	O
PCI	B-Protocol
bus	I-Protocol
dedicated	O
to	O
graphics	B-Device
adapters	I-Device
,	O
found	O
in	O
older	O
computers	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
modern	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
have	O
multiple	O
physical	O
PCI	B-Protocol
Express	O
expansion	B-Device
slots	I-Device
,	O
with	O
some	O
having	O
PCI	B-Protocol
slots	I-Protocol
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
peripheral	O
is	O
"	O
a	O
device	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
computer	O
to	O
provide	O
communication	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
output	I-General_Concept
)	O
or	O
auxiliary	O
functions	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
additional	O
storage	O
)	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peripherals	O
generally	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
USB	O
ports	O
or	O
inputs	O
located	O
on	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
panel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
USB	O
flash	O
drives	O
provide	O
portable	O
storage	O
using	O
flash	O
memory	B-General_Concept
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
files	O
stored	O
on	O
the	O
drive	O
on	O
any	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Memory	B-Device
cards	I-Device
also	O
provide	O
portable	O
storage	O
for	O
users	O
,	O
commonly	O
used	O
on	O
other	O
electronics	O
such	O
as	O
mobile	O
phones	O
and	O
digital	O
cameras	O
,	O
the	O
information	O
stored	O
on	O
these	O
cards	O
can	O
be	O
accessed	O
using	O
a	O
memory	B-Device
card	I-Device
reader	O
to	O
transfer	O
data	O
between	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Webcams	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
either	O
built	O
into	O
computer	B-Architecture
hardware	I-Architecture
or	O
connected	O
via	O
USB	O
are	O
video	O
cameras	O
that	O
records	O
video	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
to	O
either	O
be	O
saved	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
streamed	O
somewhere	O
else	O
over	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
can	O
be	O
plugged	O
in	O
via	O
USB	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
an	O
input	O
device	O
for	O
video	O
games	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
using	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
mouse	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Headphones	B-Device
and	O
speakers	O
can	O
be	O
connected	O
via	O
USB	O
or	O
through	O
an	O
auxiliary	O
port	O
(	O
found	O
on	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
panel	O
)	O
and	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
listen	O
to	O
audio	O
accessed	O
on	O
their	O
computer	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
speakers	O
may	O
also	O
require	O
an	O
additional	O
power	O
source	O
to	O
operate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microphones	B-Application
can	O
be	O
connected	O
through	O
an	O
audio	O
input	O
port	O
on	O
the	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
panel	O
and	O
allow	O
the	O
computer	O
to	O
convert	O
sound	O
into	O
an	O
electrical	O
signal	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
or	O
transmitted	O
by	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
software	O
is	O
any	O
kind	O
of	O
computer	B-Application
program	I-Application
,	O
procedure	O
,	O
or	O
documentation	O
that	O
performs	O
some	O
task	O
on	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
system	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
includes	O
application	B-Application
software	I-Application
such	O
as	O
word	B-General_Concept
processors	I-General_Concept
that	O
perform	O
productive	O
tasks	O
for	O
users	O
,	O
system	B-Application
software	I-Application
such	O
as	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
that	O
interface	B-Application
with	O
computer	B-Architecture
hardware	I-Architecture
to	O
provide	O
the	O
necessary	O
services	O
for	O
application	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
and	O
middleware	B-General_Concept
that	O
controls	O
and	O
co-ordinates	O
distributed	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	B-Application
applications	I-Application
are	O
common	O
for	O
word	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
,	O
Internet	O
browsing	O
,	O
Internet	O
faxing	O
,	O
e-mail	O
and	O
other	O
digital	O
messaging	O
,	O
multimedia	O
playback	O
,	O
playing	O
of	O
computer	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
computer	B-General_Concept
programming	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
may	O
have	O
significant	O
knowledge	O
of	O
the	O
operating	O
environment	O
and	O
application	B-Application
programs	I-Application
,	O
but	O
is	O
not	O
necessarily	O
interested	O
in	O
programming	O
nor	O
even	O
able	O
to	O
write	O
programs	O
for	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
most	O
software	O
written	O
primarily	O
for	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
tends	O
to	O
be	O
designed	O
with	O
simplicity	O
of	O
use	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
user-friendliness	B-General_Concept
"	O
in	O
mind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
software	B-Application
industry	I-Application
continuously	O
provide	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
new	O
products	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
targeted	O
at	O
both	O
the	O
expert	O
and	O
the	O
non-expert	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
(	O
OS	O
)	O
manages	O
computer	O
resources	O
and	O
provides	O
programmers	O
with	O
an	O
interface	B-Application
used	O
to	O
access	O
those	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
processes	O
system	O
data	O
and	O
user	B-General_Concept
input	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
responds	O
by	O
allocating	O
and	O
managing	O
tasks	O
and	O
internal	O
system	O
resources	O
as	O
a	O
service	O
to	O
users	O
and	O
programs	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
performs	O
basic	O
tasks	O
such	O
as	O
controlling	O
and	O
allocating	O
memory	B-General_Concept
,	O
prioritizing	O
system	O
requests	O
,	O
controlling	O
input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
output	I-General_Concept
devices	O
,	O
facilitating	O
computer	B-Architecture
networking	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
managing	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Common	O
contemporary	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
operating	I-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
are	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Solaris	B-Application
and	O
FreeBSD	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
all	O
have	O
server	O
and	O
personal	O
variants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
the	O
designs	O
of	O
each	O
of	O
them	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
or	O
directly	O
inherited	O
from	O
the	O
Unix	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
used	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
that	O
supported	O
command	B-Application
line	I-Application
interaction	O
,	O
using	O
an	O
alphanumeric	O
display	O
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1960s	O
,	O
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
began	O
to	O
be	O
explored	O
,	O
but	O
widespread	O
adoption	O
required	O
lower-cost	O
graphical	O
display	O
equipment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1984	O
,	O
mass-market	O
computer	O
systems	O
using	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
were	O
available	O
;	O
by	O
the	O
turn	O
of	O
the	O
21st	O
century	O
,	O
text-mode	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
were	O
no	O
longer	O
a	O
significant	O
fraction	O
of	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Generally	O
,	O
a	O
computer	O
user	O
uses	O
application	B-Application
software	I-Application
to	O
carry	O
out	O
a	O
specific	O
task	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
System	B-Application
software	I-Application
supports	O
applications	O
and	O
provides	O
common	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
memory	B-General_Concept
management	O
,	O
network	O
connectivity	O
and	O
device	O
drivers	O
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
applications	O
but	O
are	O
not	O
directly	O
of	O
interest	O
to	O
the	O
end	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
simplified	O
analogy	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
hardware	B-Architecture
would	O
be	O
the	O
relationship	O
of	O
an	O
electric	O
light	O
bulb	O
(	O
an	O
application	O
)	O
to	O
an	O
electric	O
power	O
generation	O
plant	O
(	O
a	O
system	O
)	O
:	O
the	O
power	O
plant	O
merely	O
generates	O
electricity	O
,	O
not	O
itself	O
of	O
any	O
real	O
use	O
until	O
harnessed	O
to	O
an	O
application	O
like	O
the	O
electric	O
light	O
that	O
performs	O
a	O
service	O
that	O
benefits	O
the	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
examples	O
of	O
software	B-Application
applications	I-Application
are	O
word	B-General_Concept
processors	I-General_Concept
,	O
spreadsheets	B-Application
,	O
and	O
media	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
and	O
LibreOffice	B-Application
,	O
which	O
bundle	O
together	O
a	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
,	O
and	O
several	O
other	O
discrete	O
applications	O
,	O
are	O
typical	O
examples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
separate	O
applications	O
in	O
a	O
suite	O
usually	O
have	O
a	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
that	O
has	O
some	O
commonality	O
making	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
learn	O
and	O
use	O
each	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
,	O
they	O
may	O
have	O
some	O
capability	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
in	O
ways	O
beneficial	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
might	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
be	O
embedded	O
in	O
a	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
document	O
even	O
though	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
created	O
in	O
the	O
separate	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User-written	O
software	O
include	O
spreadsheet	B-Application
templates	O
,	O
word	B-General_Concept
processor	I-General_Concept
macros	O
,	O
scientific	O
simulations	O
,	O
graphics	O
and	O
animation	O
scripts	O
;	O
even	O
email	O
filters	O
are	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
user	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
gaming	O
is	O
at	O
the	O
forefront	O
of	O
competitive	O
gaming	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
esports	O
,	O
with	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Overwatch	B-Application
and	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
:	I-Application
Global	I-Application
Offensive	I-Application
leading	O
the	O
industry	O
that	O
is	O
suspected	O
to	O
surpass	O
a	O
billion	O
dollars	O
in	O
revenue	O
in	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
,	O
125	O
million	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
shipped	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
48,000	O
in	O
1977	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
than	O
500	O
million	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
in	O
use	O
in	O
2002	O
and	O
one	O
billion	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
had	O
been	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
from	O
the	O
mid-1970s	O
up	O
to	O
this	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
About	O
81.5	O
%	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
shipped	O
had	O
been	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
16.4	O
%	O
laptops	B-Device
and	O
2.1	O
%	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Almost	O
half	O
of	O
all	O
households	O
in	O
Western	O
Europe	O
had	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
and	O
a	O
computer	O
could	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
40%	O
of	O
homes	O
in	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
compared	O
with	O
only	O
13%	O
in	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
global	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
shipments	O
were	O
350.9million	O
units	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2002	O
,	O
136.7million	O
PCs	B-Device
were	O
shipped	O
,	O
at	O
an	O
estimated	O
value	O
of	O
$175billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
140.2million	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
shipped	O
,	O
at	O
an	O
estimated	O
value	O
of	O
$226billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worldwide	O
shipments	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
surpassed	O
the	O
100-million	O
mark	O
in	O
1999	O
,	O
growing	O
to	O
113.5million	O
units	O
from	O
93.3million	O
units	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
in	O
use	O
worldwide	O
hit	O
one	O
billion	O
,	O
while	O
another	O
billion	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
reached	O
by	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mature	O
markets	O
like	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Western	O
Europe	O
and	O
Japan	O
accounted	O
for	O
58%	O
of	O
the	O
worldwide	O
installed	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
emerging	O
markets	O
were	O
expected	O
to	O
double	O
their	O
installed	O
PCs	B-Device
by	O
2012	O
and	O
to	O
take	O
70%	O
of	O
the	O
second	O
billion	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
developed	O
world	O
,	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
vendor	O
tradition	O
to	O
keep	O
adding	O
functions	O
to	O
maintain	O
high	O
prices	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
One	O
Laptop	B-Device
per	O
Child	O
foundation	O
and	O
its	O
low-cost	O
XO-1	B-Application
laptop	I-Application
,	O
the	O
computing	O
industry	O
started	O
to	O
pursue	O
the	O
price	O
too	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
introduced	O
only	O
one	O
year	O
earlier	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
14	O
million	O
netbooks	B-Device
sold	O
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
Deloitte	O
consulting	O
firm	O
predicted	O
that	O
,	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
as	O
computing	O
devices	O
would	O
surpass	O
the	O
PCs	B-Device
sales	O
(	O
as	O
has	O
happened	O
since	O
2012	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2013	O
,	O
worldwide	O
sales	O
of	O
PCs	B-Device
had	O
begun	O
to	O
fall	O
as	O
many	O
consumers	O
moved	O
to	O
tablets	B-Device
and	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
This	O
is	O
horrific	O
news	O
for	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
"	O
remarked	O
an	O
analyst	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
look	O
similar	O
to	O
tablet/smartphone	O
software	O
,	O
was	O
cited	O
as	O
a	O
contributing	O
factor	O
in	O
the	O
decline	O
of	O
new	O
PC	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Unfortunately	O
,	O
it	O
seems	O
clear	O
that	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
launch	O
not	O
only	O
did	O
n't	O
provide	O
a	O
positive	O
boost	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
market	O
,	O
but	O
appears	O
to	O
have	O
slowed	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
"	O
said	O
IDC	O
Vice	O
President	O
Bob	O
O’Donnell	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
Credit	O
Suisse	O
published	O
research	O
findings	O
that	O
attributed	O
around	O
75%	O
of	O
the	O
operating	O
profit	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
industry	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
(	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
)	O
and	O
Intel	O
(	O
semiconductors	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selling	O
prices	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
steadily	O
declined	O
due	O
to	O
lower	O
costs	O
of	O
production	O
and	O
manufacture	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
computers	O
increased	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1975	O
,	O
an	O
Altair	O
kit	O
sold	O
for	O
around	O
only	O
,	O
but	O
required	O
customers	O
to	O
solder	O
components	B-Architecture
into	O
circuit	O
boards	O
;	O
peripherals	O
required	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
the	O
system	O
in	O
alphanumeric	O
form	O
instead	O
of	O
blinking	O
lights	O
would	O
add	O
another	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
resultant	O
system	O
was	O
of	O
use	O
only	O
to	O
hobbyists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
their	O
introduction	O
in	O
1981	O
,	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
the	O
Osborne	B-Device
1	I-Device
and	O
its	O
competitor	O
Kaypro	O
was	O
considered	O
an	O
attractive	O
price	O
point	O
;	O
these	O
systems	O
had	O
text-only	O
displays	O
and	O
only	O
floppy	O
disks	B-Device
for	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1982	O
,	O
Michael	O
Dell	O
observed	O
that	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
system	O
selling	O
at	O
retail	O
for	O
about	O
was	O
made	O
of	O
components	B-Architecture
that	O
cost	O
the	O
dealer	O
about	O
;	O
typical	O
gross	O
margin	O
on	O
a	O
computer	O
unit	O
was	O
around	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
total	O
value	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
purchases	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
in	O
1983	O
was	O
about	O
,	O
comparable	O
to	O
total	O
sales	O
of	O
pet	O
food	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
late	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
average	O
selling	O
price	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
systems	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
had	O
dropped	O
below	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
systems	O
,	O
the	O
average	O
selling	O
price	O
(	O
ASP	O
)	O
showed	O
a	O
decline	O
in	O
2008/2009	O
,	O
possibly	O
due	O
to	O
low-cost	O
netbooks	B-Device
,	O
drawing	O
for	O
desktop	B-Device
computers	I-Device
and	O
$689	O
for	O
laptops	B-Device
at	O
U.S.	O
retail	O
in	O
August	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
ASP	O
had	O
further	O
fallen	O
to	O
for	O
desktops	O
and	O
to	O
for	O
notebooks	B-Device
by	O
January	O
and	O
to	O
in	O
February	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
research	O
firm	O
NPD	O
,	O
the	O
average	O
selling	O
price	O
of	O
all	O
Windows	B-Application
portable	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
has	O
fallen	O
from	O
in	O
October	O
2008	O
to	O
in	O
October	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
External	O
costs	O
of	O
environmental	O
impact	O
are	O
not	O
fully	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
selling	O
price	O
of	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
have	O
become	O
a	O
large	O
contributor	O
to	O
the	O
50	O
million	O
tons	O
of	O
discarded	O
electronic	O
waste	O
generated	O
annually	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
United	O
Nations	O
Environment	O
Programme	O
.	O
</s>
