Difference Between Laptop And Notebook

The difference between laptop and notebook computers explained.

We’ve been asked this question often so we’ve finally decided to dedicate an entire page to the answer.  And while the answer according to some doesn’t necessary require more than a few sentences to really explain, we still feel it won’t exactly hurt to elaborate a bit. 

At the minimum you’ll browse away from this page with a new and hopefully better understanding of the difference between laptop and notebook computers.

First and foremost we honestly feel the answer to this question is very subjective and so you will see many different viewpoints in regards to describing differences between notebook and laptops.

In today’s world many individuals agree the term laptop or notebook have pretty much become synonymous with each other. In fact our own personal belief is this for we truly feel the word laptop and notebook are simply two different words representing the same thing, and so we use the two interchangeably throughout our site.

Laptops, Notebooks, and Netbooks   

Of course some individuals disagree and view laptop computers as larger versions of so called notebook computers and respectively notebooks as smaller more compact versions of laptops.  

But is there really an honest difference between the term laptop and notebook? 

In all respect seeing how individuals look at each term differently, we feel the differences are really a subjective definition as a whole and thus we can’t say with fact that notebooks are smaller than laptops or vice versa. 

At one point notebooks were more often viewed as smaller versions of laptops, though as we said earlier the terms have pretty much merged over the years.  So not leaning in any real direction, we feel the difference between laptop and notebook computers really come down to the viewpoint of an individual source like our own website for example. 

Since we use both terms interchangeably we can’t honestly say with fact what the differences between the two are, though on the other hand we will say in our personal opinion notebooks and laptops are the same beast.

Definition Of A Laptop - Difference Between Laptop And Notebooks

Laptop computers, also known as notebooks, are portable computers that you can take with you on the go. They include a screen, keyboard, and a pointing device called a trackpad which serves the purpose of a mouse. 

In a nutshell laptops can do just about anything a full fledged desktop can do but in a portable take anywhere package.  

Because laptops are meant to be used on the go, they have a battery which allows them to operate without being plugged into an electrical source.  Laptops also include a power adapter that allows you to recharge the laptops battery or run the laptop off the wall outlet altogether if desired. 

In the past laptops/notebooks used to be much slower and far less capable than desktop computers but because of huge advancements in technology laptops now perform at exceptional speeds very comparable to many desktops and even better than budget machines.

Laptops include an array of connections including multiple USB ports so you can connect mice, keyboards, flash drives and more, video outputs which allow you to connect them to monitors or TV sets, Ethernet networking jacks to connect to an office network or home DSL/Cable Internet connection, wireless networking cards built-in for wire free web surfing, and so much more.  Many laptops even include built-in CD/DVD drives so you can watch your favorite DVD movie on the go or burn a multi-track CD and more.

Many notebooks can also pretty much be used similar to a desktop computer by way of a docking station. 

Docking stations in brief are a laptop accessory that many laptop computers use to quickly connect to a desktop monitor, keyboard, mouse, network connection, printer, and more.

Of course while laptops can be powerful like desktops and much more convenient at times, the convenience often comes at a price.  

Most laptops in fact cost several hundred dollars more than a similarly equipped desktop.

Another thing with notebooks/laptops is that sometimes working long hours on a laptop may be more fatiguing than working on a desktop computer. But if portability is a requirement then often this is a tradeoff worth the price and minor discomfort. 

Now you know difference between laptop and notebook computers, but what exactly is a netbook computer?

A netbook is a newer type of laptop computer system which pretty much falls into a super small notebook category.  Netbooks basically are small, cheap, less powerful laptop computers. 

In short they are basically smaller than the notebook or laptop computers of yesterday but if you want to know more be sure to check out or Best Netbook Computer page for details.

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