- The first laptop computer was designed in 1981; initially a 4-lbs. brick with a calculator-style printer and a tiny LCD screen, this was a far distant cousin to the modern computer. The first folding-closure laptop was created in 1982 and was sold for more than $8,100. It was used almost exclusively by NASA and government divisions. Throughout the past 25 years, the laptop has come very far, especially in the crisp displays featuring a myriad of colors and superior definition without sacrificing loading speeds, memory or battery use.
- Laptop displays come in three ranges: 17 inches and more are considered to be desktop replacement computers of considerable size; 13 to 15 inches are considered the average optimization for portability, memory and battery; 13 inches and smaller are considered "mini notebooks," "subnotebooks" or "ultraportable notebooks." These are designed for shorter battery life but supreme portability.
- The most common type of laptop display is an LCD, or an active matrix liquid crystal display. There are also dual scan screens, which are found in only the cheapest or older computers. Tablet laptops generally have a screen that responds to the touch of a hand or a stylus and can interpret and save handwriting and drawings.
- Because the screen is fairly delicate, it is often one of the first things to be damaged on computers, especially if the connection to the mainframe of the computer is disconnected or frayed. Oftentimes, rather than showing damage or allowing for damaged sections, the entire thing shuts off entirely.
- When choosing a laptop display, remember primarily that the size of the screen will directly correlate to how many features your laptop has and how much the computer weighs. For example, mini notebooks cannot handle video gaming or extensive hard drive use, whereas a 17-inch display is designed to take nearly anything you can throw at it.
