Think back to the laptop you had in 2008. It probably doesn’t look
too different from what you’re using today. Sure, your current notebook
is lighter than the brick you lugged around five years ago, and it’s
running Mountain Lion or Windows 8 rather than Vista or Leopard, but
it’s still a clamshell laptop with the same basic functionality.
Fast-forward to 2018, and your computing experience will be radically
different — but familiar, too.
Rather than phasing out the traditional laptop, manufacturers are
shaping future PCs around emerging trends. For instance, the prominence
of mobile devices has spawned thinner Ultrabook designs and detachable
tablet-laptop hybrids. Notebooks will also benefit from perceptual
computing breakthroughs that will push eye and motion control into the
mainstream. Imagine looking at an app to open it or simply glancing up
or down to scroll.
Slimmer, faster, lighter. The list of best laptops of the moment may
shift every month, but manufacturers strive to improve their notebooks
in many of the same ways with every revision. As processors shrink, the
computers they go in can get faster and run longer, even while their
bulk diminishes. Meanwhile, lightweight materials like magnesium alloy
and even carbon fiber allow builders to reinforce these thin new bodies
so they feel sturdier than ever. The end result? No matter what you
bought two year ago, the latest models make it look fat, slow and heavy.
If you’re looking for an upgrade, check out some of the highly rated
models below. From netbooks and Ultrabooks to desktop replacements,
these are the best laptops to have passed under our critical gaze.
Form Factors: From clamshells to detachables
A study from Gartner in April predicted that tablet sales would
surpass laptop purchases by 2015. Despite this unpromising outlook,
experts agree that the traditional keyboard and hinged display form
factor won’t disappear anytime soon.
MORE: Top 8 Windows Tablet-Laptop Hybrids
Howard Locker, a Lenovo executive working on the company’s R&D
team, compared the clamshell form factor to a piano. Like a notebook,
the keys on a piano and its sheet-music holster are positioned
conveniently in relation to our hands and our eyes — a design that will
always be crucial for computers as well.