Ever since the first computer, advances in technology made it possible to maker smaller and smaller computers. The 50's reduced the size of computers drasticly with the invention of the transistor, which replaced the old glass vaccum valves.
Jack Kirby, development engineer for Texas instruments is credited with the first microchip, the critical technology for microcomputers, The first one was made in 1958.
Small computers were invented late in the 20th century. Computers as small as laptops were invented around the turn of the 21st century.
transistor
because they have to match the customer demands. The Customer pushes the companies to be more competitive
There are mainframe computers, mini computers and micro computers. Mainframes are large scale computers, (search IBM System/360) mini computer are smaller, a lot smaller than mainframes (search IBM AS/300) and minis are what's on your desktop like a DELL, HP, Sony, etc.
I believe the invention of the transistor and the resulting miniaturization of electronics turned into an amazing revolution. Radios became smaller. Computers could become more powerful without overheating problems; communications equipment became much smaller and more efficient -- leading to mobile and then cellular telephones and personal home computers. All of these advances stemmed from replacing the vacuum tube with the transistor.
integrated circuit computer or microprocessor
nanocomputers
The integrated circuit chip.
Microchip
It made them smaller, lighter, faster, and MUCH easier to cool.askjeeves
There was no invention, per se. However, there is a theory called Moore's Law that says every two years, computers will double the number of transistors on an integrated circuit. Translated from geek: every two years a computer of the same size will have a 40% increase in speed over last generation. That's why they can be both small and fast nowadays. Take a look at the Wikipedia article on Moore's Law if you are interested.
because they have to match the customer demands. The Customer pushes the companies to be more competitive
It is called a Notebook.
I do not know what it took to run the first computer but I do know that it has been cut in about 1/8 sence the invention of LED bulbs and smaller transformers,if anyone can improve this answer please do
The computer has changed over the years by becoming smaller and exponentially faster. This has made it possible to have very fast computers in packages as small as a wrist watch.
It is my observation that our computing devices will keep getting smaller and more sophisticated. This is partly because of consumer demand, and partly because the technology used to make our computing devices work is becoming smaller and more powerful.
An object is lighter on the moon because the moon is smaller and thus lighter than the Earth
Modern computers are getting lighter without getting smaller. The best laptop 2010 could provide for you would have been one of the lightest models because it was so easy to carry. However, the screen would have been very small at that time. Now, computers tend to be thinner. This means that you still get a large screen even though the computer does not weigh as much as the same size of screen would have weighed before.
it has a smaller mass