Laptops Of The Future

Ever wonder what laptops will look like three to five years? Well thanks to Computerworld and a handful of designers, engineers and marketers we get a sneak peek of how laptops will change over the next seven years.

"Between now and 2015, we expect to see a series of big changes that will redefine what a notebook is and what it looks like," said Mike Trainor, Intel Corp.'s evangelist for mobile products.

While some of these designs are down right wild some are extremely innovative. Take for instance the screenless Siafu. A touch based concept for the visually impaired. Because the blind can't see what's on the screen, Siafu converts images into corresponding 3-D shapes that are created with Magneclay, an oil-based synthetic material that instantly forms shapes in response to electrical fields.

More images from Computerworld

More Power

While the current laptop models are running dual and in some limited instances Quad Core Cpus, the next generation will be running six to eight computational cores.

Storage will no longer be a concern, as the typical mainstream notebook could be outfitted with a 2TB hard disk drive. Lower costs in SSD's will also mean more mainstream push to the faster lighter devices. We can look to having something like 250GB of super fast flash memory.

Powering all this will still likely fall to lithium-ion cells as batteries will continue to dominate the power scene. However they will become smaller, lighter and will be formed in a variety of shapes and sizes. Meaning designers will be able to pack more into a smaller space, providing more power.


Brighter, lighter displays

OLEDs with touchscreen capabilities that draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer will be the main stay. OLED's are flexible, brighter and lighter than today's LCD screens. All making for a much more portable, much more viewable laptop.

More images from Computerworld

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