Megabyte (MB)
The megabyte, symbolized as MB, is equal to 1,000,000 bytes in the decimal (SI) system, although in computing, it is often regarded as 1,048,576 bytes (1,024 KB). The term emerged in the 1960s as computers and storage capacity increased, making kilobytes insufficient for describing larger files. Megabytes are used for text, images, and small software applications, providing a human-readable scale for digital data capacity while bridging metric and binary conventions.
Gibibyte (GiB)
The gibibyte, symbol GiB, is a binary unit of digital information equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes (1,024 mebibytes). Introduced by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998, it was created to clearly distinguish binary measurements from decimal-based gigabytes (GB), which can equal 1,000,000,000 bytes. Gibibytes are commonly used in operating systems, software engineering, and computer hardware specifications to ensure precise calculations for memory and storage. By using gibibytes, developers and IT professionals avoid ambiguity when reporting RAM, file sizes, and storage capacity, maintaining accuracy across platforms and systems.