Latest Laptop Technology and its Future

 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.

Here’s what to expect from your laptop in 2018.

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.