Following the evolution of laptops, one aspect has been the steadiness in the design of laptops’ architecture.

By Chandrahas Panigrahi

With each passing day, the world around us is being progressively more crowded with displays. No matter where we go, workplaces, homes, airports, there is basically no escaping now. From clamshell designs to athletic architectures, laptops have come a long way. Yet, the future may hold true amalgamation of multiple screens, with a pursuit to de-clutter and help multi-taskers prioritise better.

Redefining PC designs and engineering
In the coming years, innovations in PC design and functionalities will evolve continuously. We can expect swift innovation in areas like colour, material, size, and far greater options for personalisation. In 2019, we have already seen the usage of materials such as leather, wood and even recycled plastic otherwise bound for the ocean to make laptops. This trend will continue, and form factors will be disrupted. As OEMs go beyond clamshells, 360-degree convertibles and detachable designs with potential hybrids that can switch between different functional forms can be expected. High screen-to-body ratio and lightweight will be the default feature in most premium laptops.

Laptop goes thin and light
Following the evolution of laptops, one aspect has been the steadiness in the design of laptops’ architecture. While the machines have surely shrunk, the year 2018 saw the growth of the thin and light category priced at a reasonable range. The slim versions are, in most cases, as powerful as some of the burly laptops of the years gone by.

2-in-1s and dual screens to be omnipresent
Over a half-decade ago, when Windows 8 was introduced, we made a jump towards the wonderful design of laptops. It led to the rise of fascinating designs from the leading OEMs with spinning displays, etc. However, the eccentric designs have come and gone, without defining the generation. Thus, the industry needed a serious makeover to de-clutter the creation of multiple screens and with it the advent of 2-in-1 and dual-screen laptops were introduced. Brands are fiddling with the idea of adding another secondary screen to the traditional design. Dual-screen laptops open a whole new boulevard of creative options for users and a re-imagining of what a PC not only looks like but does.

Better battery life: Ten years back, battery life standards of 5-6 hours were considered to be good. But since then battery technology has improved as have the ability of CPUs, chipsets, and system software to manage power usage.

Storage becomes solid: SSD was the best thing to happen to PC hardware in the last decade. Cheaper, faster SSDs transferred HDDs to secondary storage drives. SSDs have gotten faster and better, but their changing price is eventually what made them one of the biggest developments of the decade. An SSD radically improves every aspect of computing. Boot times, system responsiveness, file transfers, and game loads are much better with an SSD, and they are now the default.

Ports have evolved: Laptops in 2010 sported a bulky port line-up. But on today’s PCs, you have one or two USB Type-C connectors.

Content creation needs more power: Those creating serious content are going to need more robust power, at least for most of their work. A tablet or smartphone may provide a necessary convenience but will not replace the computer for these users.

The writer is CMO and Consumer Business Head, Acer India