Infs

• Hardware


  Electronic devices that can follow instructions to accept input, process the input, and produce information
• Types of Computers


  • Supercomputer
  • Mainframe
  • Midrange (server)
  • Personal computers (PCs)
• Personal Computers


  • Desktop
  • Laptop (notebook computer)
  • Tablet
  • Smartphone
  • Wearable
• Today, almost all cell phones are smartphones; cell phone and smartphone are becoming interchangeable terms
• Basic categories of hardware devices

  • System unit
  • Input/output devices
• System unit


  Contains electronic circuitry, including microprocessors and memory
• Random-access memory (RAM)


  Holds the program and data currently being processed
• Input/output devices


  Translators between humans and computers
• Input devices


  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
• Output device


  The most common is the display (monitor)
• Electronic commerce (e-commerce)


  The buying and selling of goods over the Internet
• Electronic commerce


  • Fast-growing and widely used
  • Provides incentives for both buyers and sellers
• Buyer's perspective


  Goods and services can be purchased at any time of day or night from any location that has an Internet connection
• Seller's perspective


  • Costs associated with owning and operating a retail outlet can be eliminated
  • Reduced inventory as products are shipped directly from warehouses
• Advantages of e-commerce


  • Buyers can purchase at any time from any location with internet
  • Sellers can eliminate retail outlet costs
  • Reduced inventory
• Disadvantages of e-commerce


  • Inability to provide immediate delivery of goods
  • Inability to "try on" prospective purchases
  • Questions relating to the security of online payments
• 1. commerce will not replace bricks-and-mortar businesses entirely, they will coexist and e-commerce will continue to grow
• Parties involved in electronic commerce


  Businesses and consumers
• Types of electronic commerce


  • Business-to-consumer (B2C)
  • Business-to-business (B2B)
  • Consumer-to-consumer (C2C)
• Business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce


  Involves the sale of a product or service to the individual consumer