Why Laptops May Be on Their Final Lap
03/04/2017
You may never buy another laptop, writes Mike Elgan, a contributing columnist for Computerworld. In his commentary, he goes in-depth on reasons why, but here are the condensed versions of why he believes the end is near for laptops.
1 | Apple has run out of good laptop ideas
After years without a significant new laptop design, their latest release, last year’s MacBook Pro, landed with a thud.
2 | Bans on airline carry-on laptops
Passengers are required to check laptops on certain airlines flying into the UK and USA.. If the ban spreads, for the next few years, it may become impossible to use a laptop on a commercial flight.
3 | Docking smartphone alternatives
Samsung upcoming Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones and its DeX Station smartphone dock (below) allow you to plug in a keyboard, mouse and monitor. In other words, a PC powered off a smartphone. Apple last week published a patent application for a clamshell laptop-like device that runs off an iPhone.
Samsung DeX docking station.
4 | Smartphones are becoming amazing. Laptops are too boring and expensive.
The industry is churning out new designs that enable smartphones as laptop replacements.