After reading the article written by McQuaig and Brooks, I have decided to write about the object I am currently staring at – my laptop. I bought this laptop half a year ago when my old laptop decided to run things slower (including video games, of course), hotter and noisier. This new laptop has a smaller screen, a chip that is more energy efficient, and while possessing respectful gaming (which I have quitted for a while now) performance, looks like something you can carry in a formal office without looking like a hippie. I have had this laptop for 6 months now. To my surprise, the excitement vanished after a week of using it (let alone reflecting on the creation of it).

This laptop runs Windows and have apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. All from the same company – Microsoft. Before reading the article, I considered Bill Gates to be one of the greatest individuals in the creation of the modern PC. The admiration was backed by a few facts: his talent, ambition and of course – he was the richest man in the world for two decades (including 13 consecutive titles). However, after reading the article, my admiration took a hit and started thinking about the PC.

What is the PC’s purpose? My answer would be to make things easier. When the Jacquard Loom was invented back in 1803, its purpose was to make the manufacturing process of textiles easier. Similarly, the first PC, the Babbage Computer was created to make computing values simpler. When we look at how many people use the PC today, it is easy to tell how much easier it made things (it is not just a product, but and entire industry). People working in most industries are now required to possess computer skills, from typing documents to content creating, we need PCs.

In the past, computers were expensive, to the point that it would cost an average person more half of their annual salary. The main reason was that the industry was still relatively new and making the products had a high cost. However, technology (mainly manufacturing) is much advanced right now and most people can buy a very competent PC with half of their monthly salary (compared to annual). The designing, testing, manufacturing of the different parts and the integrating of the components into a much smaller package, a process used to cost thousands of dollars has shrunken down to just a few hundred dollars. Enabling more people to work more effectively while being more cost-effective.