Microcomputer

Microcomputer, desktop- or notebook-size computing device that uses a microprocessor as its central processing unit, or CPU. In common usage, the term microcomputer is equivalent to personal computer. When they first appeared, microcomputers were considered single-user devices, and they were capable of handling only 4, 8, or 16 bits of information at one time. Over time the distinction between microcomputers and large, mainframe computers (as well as the smaller mainframe-type systems called minicomputers) has become blurred, as newer microcomputer models have increased the speed and data-handling capabilities of their CPUs into the 32-bit and 64-bit, multiuser range.