Abstract

Computer system architecture is a specification describing the structure and how different
software and hardware units of a computer interact together. The purpose of this assignment
is to justify the fundamental concepts and principles of computer architecture of the Dell XPS
15 9570 laptop. Furthermore, stating the compatible technique and main problems according
to the design of the computer system used in this assignment. The central processing unit,
memory and I/O systems are emphasized with its own operational and functional
characteristic. Lastly, it has also provided a detail explanation on the main system concepts
and computer components of the model used in this assignment.

Keywords : computer system architecture, fundamental concepts, compatible technique,

operational/functional characteristic.

1 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 1

 Principle of mobile computing
Mobile computing is a small, portable device that packs the technology to transmit voice and
data through wireless network when connected to a wireless network [ CITATION Ish16 \l
17417 ]. Mobile computers use unique software, program and hardware that are specifically
made for mobile computers.

Technologies behind the success of mobile

computers
Wireless network
Wireless network is one of the technologies behind the success
of mobile computers. [1] Wireless technology can be found in a lot
of devices; the 2 most iconic devices are computers and
smartphones. Many businesses today use LAN technology to
Figure 1 Wireless
enable employees to share a common data source, but wireless
Internet
2 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
network can increase mobility and can easily outweigh the setbacks Connection
that a wired network consist [ CITATION qua13 \l 17417 ].

Sensor
Sensor is a transducer that converts a physical phenomenon into an
electric signal. Sensors play many crucial roles to allow the mobile
[2]
computer to function. For example, piezoelectric sensors,
pressure sensing, microphone sensing etc. MEMS sensor sensors
are getting cheaper than other mobile computing technology and
Figure 2
being more capable. Nowadays, every new flagship phone seems to Motion Sensor
Icon
contain a new sensor and possibly even multiple sensors [ CITATION
Sem15 \l 17417 ].

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 2

 Touch Screen
Touch Screens are important technologies that can
make or break the prosperity of the success of mobile
computers [ CITATION Fie02 \l 17417 ]. The touchscreen
interface has become vital for mobile technologies to
[3]
interacting with Internet of Things (IoT) data.
Figure 3 Touchscreen
Moreover, touchscreen technology helps the mobile
computing to operate any device faster because it is
more users interactive. It has also been proven that touchscreens are perceptive and
direct in use. Touch screens without a doubt, an all-in-one solution in mobile
computing technology. Touch screen can also be incredible value when
accommodating users with physical limitations [ CITATION sky18 \l 17417 ] .

3 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 3

 Classifications of mobile computer
Mobile computing is not only limited to Mobile phones only, but it’s also there are various
gadgets available in the market helping mobile computing. They are usually classified in the
following categories such as smartphone [ CITATION wis18 \l 17417 ]

there are still a various of other gadgets that are under the category of mobile computing.

Smartphones
Smartphones are the kind of phone that combines the features of a
[4]
PDA with a mobile phone and a compact camera. It has a superior
edge over other kinds of devices as it all a lot of features and functions
all packed into a small form-factor. These phones have features like
high-resolution screens with touchscreen functionality to use the
phone, web browsers that can access and display standard webpages
rather than webpages that are optimized for mobiles, and also high-

4 speed data access via Wi-Fi andGrowth

high-speed cellular
of Mobile broadband thatof Figure
ComputersGrowth Mobile4Computers
Samsung
allows the phone to connect to the internet [ CITATION tut18 \l 17417 Galaxy S8

].

The most common mobile Operating System (OS) used by modern smartphones include
Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. Such operating systems can be installed on different
phone models, and typically each device can receive multiple OS software updates over its
lifetime [ CITATION wis18 \l 17417 ].

Tablet PC and iPads

Tablets are also designed to offer portability. However, they
provide you with a computer-like experience but different from
laptops with the biggest difference being that tablets do not have a
touchpad. [5] The touch screen offers a virtual keyboard for users to
input text, while your finger replaces the mouse as a pointer. The
size of the tablet is in between a smartphone and laptop, it is
smaller than a traditional laptop but bigger than a smartphone
[ CITATION Dan18 \l 17417 ]. Figure 5 Tablet PC &
Ipads
CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 4
 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
PDA is short for Personal Digital Assistant. The main use of this PDA
device is to share information with computer systems. It is also an easy
[6]
to use portable day planner. The PDA is also capable of sharing
information with a computer system with the process of synchronization.
Synchronization is when both devices will access each other to check for
changes or updates the devices. The PDA is also known as a handheld
PC, but it is not a replacement for a Personal Computer [ CITATION
Figure 6 PDA
Rec15 \l 17417 ].

The PDA devices is somewhat like a smartphone that allows the user to browse the internet,
listen to audio clips, watch video clips, edit and modify office documents. The PDA also
includes a stylus and a touchscreen for the users to navigate [ CITATION Mel18 \l 17417 ].

5 BenefitsGrowth
of mobile computers
of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

Mobile computing technology for business operations can bring compelling benefits to any
organization. Using the latest mobile computing technology, organizations can provide secure
and real-time efficient. It improves operational efficiency [ CITATION Chr13 \l 17417 ].

Listed below are few benefits of mobile computing:

Location flexibility
Using a mobile device that is able to connect to the internet or a wireless connection enables
the user to work at any position, location and methods as long as they have been connection
established. Their mobility ensures that they can carry out numerous tasks at the same time
and perform their stated jobs [ CITATION Ste17 \l 17417 ].

Increased productivity
Location flexibility for the user will also lead to another benefit. Studies have shown that
when a user is able to work at the most preferable environment, it is when they have the most
motivation to be productive [ CITATION Ste17 \l 17417 ].

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 5

 Cost effective
With mobile computers, companies are able to hire people across the globe without having to
spend on travel expenses for employees because employees that are oversea can work on
assigned jobs on a mobile computer [ CITATION Ste17 \l 17417 ]. Companies will also be
able to save on equipment as technology in mobile computers are able to replace some other
work-related equipment such as fax machines can be replaced by E-mail.

Saves time
Nowadays, there a ton of companies that allows users to work from home because this will
reduce the time used for employees to travel back and forward from their home to the office.
Companies can also save time on actually delivering a document from 1 location to another
instead they can just E-mail the document to the person. A lot of companies also use a secure
channel or portal for workers to access important documents and files whenever and
wherever they want [ CITATION Tut18 \l 17417 ].

6 Importance of operating system

Growth of Mobile in mobile
ComputersGrowth computers
of Mobile Computers

Every computer in today’s generation will have an operating system installed on it. Some
popular yet traditional examples are Windows, Linux and ROS. Even though these Operating
systems are traditional operating systems there are still most laptops that still runs on these
traditional operating systems. There are also Operating Systems designed for smartphones,
wearables and tablets. The 2 most popular operating systems for smartphones and tablets are
Android and IOS [ CITATION Pri18 \l 17417 ]

Overcoming idle time

One of the important points is overcoming idle time because CPUs are responsible for
executing computer commands and even the slowest CPUs also can process data. Operating
systems can prevent the CPU from idling or remaining inactive until other components have a
chance to respond. This system overcomes idle time by automatically ordering the CPUs to
do other tasks while waiting for the completion of the previous tasks. This process that
operating systems use for sequencing task is known as multiprogramming [ CITATION Pri18
\l 17417 ].

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 6

 User Interfacing
A Operating system provides the users a User interface that can provide instruction sets or
commands. Using a user interface simplifies the instruction process, user can give commands
or instructions by pressing on to their keyboard, talking into the microphones and other input
devices. For PCs at home or other systems, users rely on graphical user interface which is
called GUI. GUI provides interactive icons and is easier to understand and navigate
[ CITATION Pri18 \l 17417 ].

Process Management
Operating system is able to manage the process in our computer because when we execute a
program or run a program it will need to utilize abundance of resources and the operating
system will serve as a process manager and is responsible for organizing these resources.
Operating system can also delete, create or prioritize process or programs [ CITATION Pri18
\l 17417 ].

Peripherals
Without an operating system, it will be complicated to when using peripherals as input and
7 Growth
output devices on a computer. This of Mobile
is because ComputersGrowth
the operating of Mobile
system can translateComputers
the data of
that the peripherals provides and present it to the users in standardized formats. In other
words, when a user loads a file on to the computer it will show up as how it should. For
example, jpg files when loaded onto the computer will still show as an image [ CITATION
Pri18 \l 17417 ].

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 7

 Mobile Computing
DELL XPS 15 9570

Figure 7 Dell XPS 15 9570 [ CITATION Boz18 \l 17417 ]

Specification of DELL XPS 15 9570

Processor Intel 8th Generation I7-8750H (Coffee Lake)

8 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

Graphic Card Nvidia GeForce GTX1050TI

Ports USB 3.0

USB Type C
Thunderbolt 3
3.5mm audio jack
SD Card reader
Operating System Windows 10

Figure 8 Specification of DELL XPS 15 [ CITATION Del18 \l

17417 ]

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 8

 Specification of Intel I7-8750H
DELL XPS 15 9570 model uses an Intel 8th Generation i7-
8750H that is based on the Coffee Lake architecture. The
Intel i7-8750H is a 14nm processor which has 6cores and
12threads with a base frequency of 2.20 GHz and capable to
turbo to a clock speed of 4.10GHz. This processor supports
up to 64 gigabytes of ddr4 memory running at 2666mhz and
has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 Graphic processor
Figure 9 Intel i7 Logo (Intel,
which runs at a base frequency of 350mhz.[ CITATION
2018)
Int18 \l 17417 ]. This processor has a TDP of 45watts, which
means that it is only suitable for large laptops with good cooling solutions. Compared to its
Kaby Lake predecessors the Intel I7 8750H has 2 additional cores compared to the Intel I7
7820HQ which lead to a 50% more performance in multicore programs, but its single core
performance did not improve by much.[ CITATION Kla18 \l 17417 ]

Intel I7 8750H 8th Specification Intel I7 7820HQ 7th

Generation Generation
9 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

Coffee Lake Code Name Kaby Lake

6 Cores 4

2.20GHz (Turbo 4.10Ghz) Clock Speed 2.90GHz (Turbo 3.90GHz)

Figure 10 Comparison i7 8750H vs i7 7820HQ [ CITATION

CPU18 \l 17417 ]

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 9

 Technology that Intel I7-8750 supports
Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel’s Hyper-Threading Technology is a feature to improve performance of a processor. This

technology can only be found on certain Intel Processors. The reason that hyper-threading is
able to increase performance of the processor is because it allows the processor core to run
more than 1 thread at a time, it also uses the resources of the computer more efficiently.
[ CITATION Int10 \l 17417 ] In other words, hyper-threading allows the computer to
schedule the tasks to processor cores that aren’t working or that are about to finish its tasks to
decrease idle time. Hyper-threading works best when the user is running multiple task
simultaneously, and when the user is running programs that requires heavy processing
powers or programs that allow multithreading.[CITATION Mat18 \l 17417 ]

Intel Turbo Technology

10 Growth
Intel Turbo Technology is usually foundofinMobile
mobileComputersGrowth of Mobile
computers. The Intel Turbo Computers
Technology
was made to decrease heat and speed when the computer isn’t using that much power, but
when the computer needs more processing power or is under heavy workload the Intel Turbo
Technology will automatically accelerates the processors performance. The amount the
processor accelerate is dependent on the workload of the computer and the temperature
around it, this is because running at a higher speed also means it will produce more heat, thus
the Intel Turbo Technology will throttle the speed if the computer runs at a very high
temperature to avoid overheating.[ CITATION Int11 \l 17417 ]

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 10

 Block Diagram of Architecture of Dell XPS 15 9570
Graphic Card Processor

Wi-Fi Card

Solid State RAM

Drive

Figure 11 Block diagram of architecture of Dell XPS 15 9570 [ CITATION Seb18 \l 17417 ]

The diagram
Extra Storage Battery
shows the internal ofSpace
the Dell XPS 15 9570. The Processor and Graphic chip are located on
11 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
the top side by side below the laptop heatsink, the heatsink is connected to 2 fans which will
be blowing cold air to the heatsink to cool down the Processor and Graphic chip when the
processor and graphic chip is running.

Memory Management

RAM

Storage

FigureASSIGNMENT
CSA GROUP 12 Internal of DELL XPS 15 [ CITATION Seb18 \l 17417 ] 11
 RAM 16GB DDR4 (2x8GB)

Storage 512GB M.2 SSD

Figure 13 Specification of DELL XPS 15 [ CITATION Seb18 \l 17417 ]

DELL XPS
15 9570 uses 4th generation dynamic random-access memory (DDR4) that was launched to
the mainstream market in 2014. The Dell XPS 15 has 2 sticks of 8 Gigabyte of DDR4 RAM
that runs at 2666hz.

The Dell XPS 15 9570 has a storage space of 512Gigabyte M.2 SSD which is connected to
the PCIE slot in the laptop, the storage space on the laptop can be expandable to 1TB SSD
via M.2 slot. The main reason this laptop uses a M.2 SSD is because the M.2 SSD is faster
than the SATA SSD that we normally use in our desktop builds.

12 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 12

 INSTRUCTION SET AND REGISTERS
Instruction Set of Intel i7 8750H
(SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2)
SSE is a processor technology that enables
single instruction multiple data (SIMD)
[ CITATION Int181 \l 17417 ]. Compare to
order processor, SSE is able to handles
multiple data element with single
instruction. It is often used in intensive
applications, such as hardcore gaming or 3D
graphics design, for faster processing.

It has expanded over years to brought out

new instructions and improve performance.
Dell XPS 15 9570 has included the latest
SSE4.1 & SSE4.2. SSE4 consists of 54
13 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
instructions. It is separated into two subsets,
47 instructions in SSE4.1 and 7 remaining Figure 14 (CPU-Z, 2018)
instructions in SSE4.2. These instructions
are designed with Penryn architecture, which is often referred to all Intel’s 45 nm chips with
the Core architecture. SSE4.2 added STTNI (String and Text New Instructions), new
instructions that is capable to perform comparison and characters searches on two operands
of 16 bytes at a time. These were designed to speed up the parsing of XML documents. Intel
has given credit to their developers in the development of the instruction set [ CITATION
Int181 \l 17417 ].

Lastly, AVX2 is also another important extension

instruction used the processor in Dell XPS 15. Advanced
Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2) has expanded to 256 bits
SIMD registers from its previous generation which was only
128 bits. It has now added the three-operand non-destructive
operations which can perform operations like A = B + C,
Figure 15 (like2do, 2017)

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 13

 leaving the original source operands unchanged. In this new instruction set, the memory
alignment requirements for operands are relaxed.

Figure 16 (Hruska, 2012)

14 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 14

 Issues in installation of Operating System
Incompetent hardware
New operating systems usually require
better hardware than their previous version.
This may cause the system to run the new
OS slower compare to the old one. New
upgrade often requires faster processor,
more memory space and even other
components might need to be upgraded or
replaced as well [ CITATION Deb07 \l 17417 ].
Figure 17 (superlopes,
2014)
Solution:
Therefore, it’s very important to clarify the hardware requirements before new OS
upgrade is done.

Driver problems
15 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
Driver problem is without a doubt, one of
the most common issues when doing OS
upgrade. Even though the OS is being
installed and able to run, there might be
some unexpected issues like soundcard isn’t
working or printing is disabled in the new
OS. All these are usually called driver
problems[ CITATION Deb07 \l 17417 ]. Figure 18 (Varnava,
2012)

Solution:
Visit the web site of the hardware component vendor and look for updated drivers.
The vendor updates their drivers to work with the new OS.

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 15

 Application incompatibilities
Some applications being unable to run after
new OS is installed. This can irritate user if
his favorite application won’t work, but a
tragedy if a business or assignment related
application fails to run [ CITATION Deb07 \l
17417 ].

Solution: Figure 19 Application Icons

Replace the new OS with the older OS or (Smithson, 2018)

install the incompatible applications on the virtual machine to allow it to run in a

window. Another possible solution is to upgrade the applications to versions that are
compatible with the current OS.

Data lost
16 This could be a serious problem as Mobile
Growth of data is the
ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
most precious thing in the computer. Data is
usually unique and unrecoverable once it’s lost
without back-up. Upgrading OS means
cleaning the drive to do a new installation. In
this case, there are possibilities that data can
be erased [ CITATION Deb07 \l 17417 ]. Figure 20 Lost Data (Grebennikov,
Solution: 2017)

However, this is easily preventable. For example, stores data in a different partition
apart from the OS. In addition, make sure the data is being backed up regularly.

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 16

 I/O Specification
Input Specification
Webcam & Microphone

The webcam capture images or videos and can be saved

on to the computer or streamed over the internet, the Dell
XPS 15 has a 720p webcam located under the screen.
Figure 21 webcam & microphone
(Jentsch, 2018) Beside the webcame it’s the dual array digital
microphones that is used to capture and record audio
signal and converting it into electrical signals to send it to another device.

Keyboard & Trackpad

The Dell XPS 15 has a full backlit keyboard that

allows user to enter commands, instructions and
17 Growthcharacters
of Mobileand be seen in the dark.
ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
Figure 22 Keyboard & Trackpad
(Jentsch, 2018)

Touchscreen

The Dell XPS 15 has a touchscreen that allows the user

to interact the user interface by pressing on to the screen.
The Trackpad below the keyboard is used to navigate
the cursor on the laptop.

Figure 23 Touchscreen of DELL

XPS 15 (Jentsch, 2018)

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 17

 Output Specification
Display

Figure 24 Display under the sun [ CITATION Figure 25 Display when on

Seb18 \l 17417 ] (Jentsch, 2018)
The Dell XPS 15 has a 15.6-inch display with a
resolution of 1920x1080 with touchscreen and is used to display out information to the user.

Speaker

The DELL XPS 15 has 2 stereo

18 speakers under
Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth the laptop
of Mobile facing
Computers
towards the users and can output
audio signals to the user.
Figure 26 Speaker of DELL XPS 15
(Jentsch, 2018)

Input & Output

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Adapter

The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapter in the Dell XPS

15 is on the top right corner of the laptop when the
case is opened. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapter
enables the laptop to receive and transmit signals to
get and send data or information back forward to
other devices[ CITATION Jon15 \l 17417 ].

Figure 27 Wifi and Bluetooh Adapter

(Jentsch, 2018)

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 18

 Growth of Mobile Computers
Mobile Phone
Design
The biggest growth in the mobile phone
industry is the design. In the beginning,
the size of the mobile phone could be
moved around but is not pocketable, but
in the 1990s the mobile phone size
Figure 28 Evolution of Mobile Phone reduced to the size where we are able to
(Funalive, 2016)
put it inside our pocket. In the 2000s,
various form factors for mobile phones were announced. For example, foldable phones,
sliding phones and phones with a keyboard. In the late 2000s touchscreen phones that uses
the screen to replace the number pad and keyboards were starting to hit the mainstream
market. The touchscreen phones and the size have lasted until today, but the weight of the
19 phone has gotten much lighter. Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

Sales

[29]
Based on the graph aboveFigure, we could see that the mobile phone industry is doing better and
29 Sales of Mobile phone [ CITATION huf17 \l
17417
better and does not look like it ]will be going anywhere. This is because when mobile phones
hit the market, people felt that it is very convenient to be able to contact anyone, anywhere, at

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 19

 any time. Furthermore, the price phone mobile phones were also getting cheaper because of
manufacturers started to manufacture mobile phones in bulk and is able to use less materials.
Therefore, the mobile phone market has been steadily growing for the past 30 years.

Transaction into Smartphones

20 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

Figure 30 Smartphone converting mobile market
(theoverspill, 2015)
[30]
Based on this graph , we
could see that more and more mobile phone users have shifted towards smartphones, this is
because the functionality of the mobile phone has also had a big revolution. As the size of the
phones went smaller, the functionality of the phones has also gotten bigger and better. In the
1990s mobile phone could only make phone calls and message other mobile phone users but
in the 2000s mobile phone manufacturer was able to include games and music onto the phone
as a form of entertainment. In the late 2000s Android and IOS was the main OS on a
smartphone and has many functionality upgrades compared to other phones and OS. This is
because Android and IOS has their own App stores that allows developers to put their
applications for other users to use which caused sudden increase of functionality of mobile
phones. Some example of the functionality is GPS, Internet browser, and etc.

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 20

 Laptop
Size and Weight

Figure 32 Compact armada 7792DMT [ CITATION

Mar13 \l 17417 ]

Figure 31 first laptop “Osborne 1” [ CITATION Hen11 \l

17417 ]

21 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

Figure 34 DELL XPS 15[ CITATION Seb18 \l
17417 ] Figure 33 Acer Aspire 7552G [ CITATION Cli10 \l 17417 ]

The biggest change in the laptop industry is

the size. Laptop has also had a number of improvement to the OS that can be used and the
[31]
performance and functioanility of the OS. When the first laptop “Osborne 1” came out in
1981 it was bulky and weighted 11kilograms, while it was “Moveable” it was not “Mobile or
Portable”[ CITATION Ric18 \l 17417 ]. Laptops that were the announced next 20 years was
getting much smaller, portable and powerful. The thinniest and lightest laptop today are
below 1 kilogram and 1 centermeter. Which is the Acer swift 7 [35] and LG Gram[36]
respectively.[ CITATION Cal18 \l 17417 ]

Figure 35 Acer aspire 7 (Hunt,

2018)
Figure 36 LG Gram (LG, 2018)
CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 21
 Performance and Functionality

Figure 37 Operating system market share since 2010 – 2018 (Statcounter,

2018)

22 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

[37]
In this graph , we can see that the OS market share has been consistently shifting, this is
due the fact that the OS on laptops has been constantly improving its performance and
functionality. Thus, the reason of the constant shifting of OS market share [CITATION
sta18 \l 17417 ]. Same as the mobile phone industry, as size of the laptop have gotten smaller
the functionality and performance of the laptop has also gotten better. When the first laptop
came out we could only store data or run calculations, and then laptops were able to run
programs but when the first laptop that could run programs cannot multitask as the processor
at the time wasn’t powerful enough. However, today’s laptop enables their user to run
multiple programs at the same time.

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 22

 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
Functionality

Figure 38 Evolution of PDA[ CITATION Ale15 \l

17417 ]
23 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
The first PDA hit the market in the 1990s, and was aimed at business people to store notes,
phone numbers, calendar and appointments. As time goes by, the ability of the PDAs has
increased. For example, able to make phone calls, running on Windows OS, able to connect
to the internet through Wi-Fi, have coloured touchscreen displays and even have games on
them as a form of entertainment. However, when the first launched of a smartphone hit the
market the PDAs market were slowly declining as smartphones were able to replace PDAs
entirely. In other words, Smartphones are a better version of a PDA [ CITATION Jer18 \l
17417 ].

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 23

 Wearable
Functionality
The idea behind a watch that can have other functionality other than
letting you know the time was fulfilled in 1983, when Seiko made the
first TV watch Seiko T001, the Seiko T001 [39] had 2 screens 1 above
and 1 below the one above tells the time and the one below is for
video output [ CITATION ByM14 \l 17417 ].

The next big step was in 1998, when watches had their own OS that is
based on Linux, which lead to the first Linux OS watch called IBM
WatchPad[40]. The IBM WatchPad has tons of Figure 39 Seiko T001
(Productevolution,
functionality like accelerometer, fingerprint 2017)
sensor and vibrating mechanism but it was
never released to the market. In the year 2012, the smartwatches
have successfully gotten the attention of the mainstream market, this
attention was able to allow companies like Pebble
24 and MioGrowth of Mobile
to crowdfund theirComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
products. On the same
Figure 40 IBM year, Mio announced its first Heart Rate Tracker
watchpad
Smartwatch also known as a fitness tracker called
(Productevolution,
2017) Mio Alpha[41]. Today, Smartwatches could be the
future of mobile computers because smartwatches
today are able to play music, make calls and message friends and even
make payments, all these functions are almost the same as a smartphone Figure 41 Mio
Alpha
and could potentially replace a smartphone[ CITATION Pro17 \l 17417 ]. (Productevolution, 2017)

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 24

 Tablets
Improvement of Functionality
Tablets are a bigger version of mobile phones and smaller version of a computer. The growth
of the tablets is very similar with the growth of mobile phone. The first tablet was the “Linus
[42]
write top” which came out in the year 1987, this
device did not have a touch interface but could be used
with a stylus to navigate the screen. Majority of people
at that time saw this as a big change to the technology
world. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a big success because
Figure 42 Linus write top [ CITATION
Akh16 \l 17417 ] of the high price tag of 2795USD at the time which is
equivalent to 6200USD right now, fortunately there was only 4000 of the “Linus write top”
made and only about 2000 was shipped. In the year 2000, Microsoft showed the “Tablet PC”
that allows user to write to notes, play games and music this
Tablet PC also has a touch input screen just like the
25 smartphone
Growth of now. Microsoft
Mobile even made of
ComputersGrowth a version
Mobile of Microsoft
Computers
Windows XP Tablet edition to run on the “Tablet PC” [43]. The
Figure 43 Tablet PC [ CITATION
dix16 \l 17417 ]
biggest hit of the tablet market was the
[44]
iPad , the iPad was a redesign of the tablet and was running on
Apple’s own IOS. The iPad was announced in 2010, when the iPad
line of product was released it was said to fail, but the sales of the iPad
had proven its critics wrong because as of today the sales of the iPad is
more than 125million. After the release of iPad, many market
Figure 44 Apple’s iPad [ CITATION Akh16 \l
competitors saw the potential of the tablet and came into the tablet 17417 ]

market creating their own tablets using the Android OS[ CITATION Akh16 \l 17417 ].

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 25

 Based on the graph we can see that OS of the tablet industry hasn’t changed much. Since
2013 IOS has always has the most market share for OS tablets in the world. Even until today
the IOS still holds the highest market share in the tablet industry [ CITATION Sta18 \l 17417
].

Figure 45 Tablet OS market share [ CITATION Sta18 \l

17417 ]

26 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 26

 The future of mobile computing
Analysts and bloggers tend to focus on hardware developments when they look at computing,
mobile or other aspects of the future. People get excited about higher resolution screens, front
facing cameras and dual-core processors, whether their enthusiasm is justified or not.
However, most of the growth experienced by the mobile computing industry over the past
few years can be attributed to the proliferation of software and services that takes advantages
of these increases in connectivity, computing power, sensors and battery life but not the
hardware itself. Thus, although the declaration that, “4G phones with 3D cameras will
become the norm within 2 – 3 years,” is a prediction that possibly become true, it is
disingenuous to say it without discussions of the software that will emerge to stimulate the
trend[CITATION ARX18 \l 17417 ].

Screens with higher resolution

Architectural blueprints and medical imaging require
very high-resolution displays. Pad devices with high-
27 resolution screens will be the Growth
impetus ofbehind
Mobilethe
ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
development of software for companies such as,
Autodesk and GE, which will enable professionals to
easily carry soft copies of engineering and medical
documents with them into the field. A similar
programming enables these experts to make
comments and offer their thoughts with partners
Figure 46 high resolution screen
progressively and easily. This improver also brings
new advancement in mobile computing[CITATION ARX18 \l 17417 ].

Greater processing power and capacity 

Mobile phones are moving toward computer regarding registering force and limit. While it is
improbable that a mobile phone will ever completely replace a computer, the capacity to
perform more serious figuring assignments will end up omnipresent. October 18, 2017,
Adobe declared another variant of their Photoshop item for the iPad. Photoshop has verifiably
been an application that requires significant processing capacity to use to its maximum

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 27

 capacity. However, it is unpredictable that a genuine photography expert will substitute their
workstation for an iPad at any point in the near future, minor photograph altering in the field,
where time is a factor and versatility is a need, ought to wind up more typical. This reception
of web-associated mobile phone is one of the quickest moving patterns in around the
world[CITATION ARX18 \l 17417 ].

3D Cameras 
In this generation, everyone knows about 3D TV, but
people are thinking that wearing a 3D glass is
inconvenience. Nowadays, mobile phone manufacturers
are jumping on the 3D trend, so that they can easy to
have an extra box on a spec sheet. In the future of
mobile computing, 3D cameras are predicted to provide
the device with a new input sensor for spatial
relationships. So, 3D camera has a speed and placement Figure 47 3D Camera
of objects in an environment function. For example,
imagine a guy is running, 3D camera can easily estimate the speed duration. Therefore, these
28 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers
joggers can know their speed and make further improvement at the time. And yet Samsung
VR is also using the 3D function to allow people having a more real feeling to enjoy their
mobile games[ CITATION ARX18 \l 17417 ].

Touch screen
Social researchers have demonstrated that how a certain object
feel will highly affect the consumer’s buying decision. Most of
the consumers prefer to select their items from the seller or
platform where they are able to feel and touch the item they
willing to buy. Therefore, this becomes a solid impact for items
that come to contact with the body like shoes, watches, attires
and beauty care products. Also, this constructive outcome of
touch isn't constrained to delicate or plush things. For example, Figure 48 Future Touch Screen
those people who love in online shopping, but consideration
with the quality of their purchase product, this improve will helpful in this situation. Let say,

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 28

 planning to buy a NIKE shoe online but was considering the shoe quality. We call this
function as (your touchscreen will touch you back)[CITATION Dav15 \l 17417 ].

29 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 29

 POSTER DELL XPS15 9570 LAPTOP

30 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 30

 Conclusion
Overall, this assignment has summarized the computer architecture of Dell XPS 15 9670 in
the context of the Von Neumann model. This includes emphasizing and provide greater
understanding on the CPU, memory management, instruction sets and register, issues and I/O
specification of the model Dell XPS 15 9570 throughout the assignment. Moreover, this
assignment explained the technology success of mobile computers and how it benefits us and
being part of our daily lives. Lastly, showing how the future of the mobile computer will
affect our life and create more benefits to human kind.

31 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 31

 Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
(Q) How much does the Dell XPS 15 9570 cost?

(A) RM 8479.00 on the Official Dell Website.

(Q) What Operating System is the DELL XPS 15 9570 Using?

(A) Windows 10.

(Q) Is There a Touchscreen Version?

(A) Yes, there is a Touchscreen Version and Non-touchscreen version.

(Q)Does the Dell XPS 15 support external Graphics Card?

(A) Yes, you can connect it through the thunderbolt 3 port.

32 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

(Q)What is the size of the display of the Dell XPS 15 9570?

(A)The Dell XPS 15 has a 15.6-inch display.

(Q)What is the dimension of the Dell XPS 15 9570?

(A)Height: 11-17mm Width: 357mm Depth: 235mm

(Q)How much storage and what type of storage does the Dell XPS 15 9570 have?

(A) 256GB SSD (Minimum) Upgradable to 1TB

(Q)How big is the battery on the Dell XPS 15 9570?

(A) The Dell XPs 15 9570 has a 6-cell 97WHr battery

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 32

 (Q)Is the battery on the Dell XPS 15 9570 removable?

(A)Yes, but Dell does not recommend users to remove it on their own as it will void the
warranty of the Dell XPS 15 9570

33 Growth of Mobile ComputersGrowth of Mobile Computers

CSA GROUP ASSIGNMENT 33