Humans are excellent at adapting. Since the beginning of
time, we have learnt, adapted and evolved. New inventions soon become
necessities and we absorb and incorporate these into our daily lives with such
ease that they practically become the norm.
Take portable devices for example. Can you remember the last time you met
someone who did not have a phone, PDA or laptop? These are not only the
enablers but are also the core components of the support system of our very
busy, very mobile lives. Devices like laptop computers have increased mankind’s
productivity many folds and the demand for these seems insatiable!
Laptops are at the very centre of this information
technology era that we live in today. The rise of laptops in their original
mobile format started in the late 1980s. In 1986, battery powered portable computers
i.e laptops, had only 2% of the worldwide market share; by 2008, this figure
jumped dramatically when more laptops than desktops were sold worldwide. As per
Gartner analysts, mobile PCs have been averaging a growth rate approaching 40%
during the period 2005-2010. A double-digit growth figure for the mobile PC
industry (these include laptops, net books and tablets) continues to be
forecasted by Gartner for the period 2011-2015.
With the rise of laptop computers, came the rise of the
single most important factor that has made its mobility a reality – the laptopbattery! The laptop computer battery (or as it is sometimes referred to as the
notebook battery) is undoubtedly the most important component, the very
lifeblood of this modern portable technology. It is the laptop battery that
provides power to our laptop computer when we are on the move. Regardless of
the hardware specs, or the software you have loaded on your laptop, if the
battery fails and you don’t have a power socket nearby – you stop being
productive.
Despite its crucial role, the laptop battery is often
underappreciated or overlooked by both customers as well as laptop computer
manufacturers. While we are all intent in knowing the speed of the processor,
or the size of the memory, or the hard drive space – most folks don’t pay too
much attention to the specifications of the laptop battery such as its
chemistry, its capacity, the number of cells
(Cells are electrochemical units that store power when charged and
release this electrical charge when needed later) it uses or even the brand of
the cells utilized by the laptop battery pack – all of these elements can make
a big difference in the overall performance of the laptop battery.
When we purchase a laptop computer, we invest a decent amount
in the hardware and software. One expects this investment to be amortized over
a period of several years. It’s safe to assume that most people switch to a new
laptops after 3 to 5 years. However, in most instances, the laptop battery has
a battery life of only 12 to 15 months.
After this time you will start to notice that the time you can use your
laptop on battery power – starts to reduce rapidly to the point when the
battery is only able to provide a few minutes of battery power. At this point,
there is no need to buy a new laptop or be confined to using the laptop only
with its power adaptor in proximity to a power socket! Several consumers are
unaware that the best course of action is to invest in a replacement laptop
battery that extends the usable life of the laptop computer. Laptop batteriescan be purchased from the original laptop manufacturers or online from other
aftermarket laptop battery retailers.
In general, technological progress is growing at an
accelerated pace. Many scientists have stated that the technological progress
made in the last few decades is greater than the total technological progress
made by humans since the beginning of time. Nevertheless, no matter what the
new gadget and what the new technology; the battery is not going anywhere! It
may change its avatar but it will continue to remain the oxygen for our mobile
devices for the foreseeable future!
