laptop

A portable computer that is smaller than a desktop computer. It weighs less and is easier to carry around, you can work on it on your lap.

Historical perspective: Soon after arriving in Silicon Valley in 1979, British-born industrial designer William Moggridge landed a commission from a start-up, Grid Systems, to create a new kind of portable computer. Even the lightest PCs then on the market had to be lugged around in ugly sewing machine–style cases; the company wanted one that could fit inside a briefcase. Moggridge designed the Grid Compass around a revolutionary concept—a clamshell case that opened to reveal a 6-inch screen on top and a keyboard on the bottom. Three decades later, laptops are still based on Moggridge’s visionary idea.