Input devices are hardware devices that allow users to send data to a computer system and interact with it. Examples of input devices include:
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Joystick
- Light pen
- Scanner
- Graphic tablet
- Microphone
- Magnetic ink card reader (MICR)
- Optical character reader (OCR)
- Barcode reader
- Web camera
Input devices can be categorized based on the modality of input, such as mechanical motion, audio, or visual, and whether the input is discrete or continuous. For example, pressing a key on a keyboard is a discrete input, while the position of a mouse is a continuous input.
Input devices are essential because they allow users to interact with and control a computer system. Without input devices, there would be no way to change settings, fix errors, or perform other user interactions.
