Phần mềm có thể phân biệt giữa máy tính để bàn và máy tính xách tay không?

A license for CPU-intensive software like Pix4D says that it can be installed on two devices, but with one condition. Reading the fine print, it seems that one device can be a full-processing desktop/workstation whereas the second one must be a laptop or mobile device.

How would the software know what type of device it is installed on? Are there giveaways in the hardware specifications for determining something like this (i.e. the presence of a battery)?

Given that the software is fully functional on both devices, would this condition become irrelevant if I just buy a high-end laptop which is just as fast as the desktop?

On Linux, you can run the following command:

sudo dmidecode –string chassis-type

On a laptop, this will return laptop, notebook, portable, or sub-notebook (depending on the manufacturer).

For Windows, refer to the following TechNet documentation to determine your computer chassis type: Identifying the Chassis Type of a Computer

To add to the other answer here regarding Linux, Windows software can also access this information through various provided WinAPI methods/objects. One such example is Win32_ComputerSystem, which among others, has members like:

Since Windows has a massive partner network that submits their drivers directly to Microsoft (for driver updates via Windows Update and “standard” drivers to include with installation media), it is pretty easy for Windows to figure out precisely what kind of computer you have it installed on. Just by the CPU ID alone, you could determine whether it is a desktop computer or a laptop.