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One of the problems is finding a future-proof connector so you could swap out an old monitor with a new one, an old mouse with a new one, an old motherboard with a new one, etc., and having a universal communications protocol that would allow any CPU to instantly identify what was just plugged in so it knows what it can and can't do and how to communicate with it.

As we come up with faster ways to process and transmit info, the technology races to keep up with it. The smallest practical connector they can create now will be bulky and inadequate by the standards of 10 years from now, making it difficult to produce parts now that won't need dozens of adapters to make them work with tomorrow's equipment.

That goes for media readers, writers, and players, storage devices, motherboards, chips, power supplies, batteries, monitors and screens, human interface devices, printers, and everything else that goes into or gets connected to a computer.

USB connectors come closer to that than anything we've ever had before, but not quite far enough. Would it not be nice to buy a CPU with a zillion USB ports and have every possible peripheral device that needs to be used with it be able to plug into any of them and have it all work?

it is already happening becase they have laptops that are able to change motherboards in minutes

bad idea

but idea.

In my opinion no, It'd pretty much ruin the computer industry, and well, you didn't have any ideas of how it would be future proof, such as maybe dust covers and more high tech fans. It would be nice but it'd have way to many down sides and anyways, if you keep good care of your computer it wouldn't be damaged, I know someone who has a very very old computer and keeps great care of it, mine's now about 4 years and is working like it's brand new.

This was part of my reasoning behind MY idea, the Modular Notebook. When you want to upgrade the part, buy it and easy stick it into the PC with just a coulle of twists of some retaining nuts that holds the thing together.

I like your idea but... my laptop I'm using to type this right now is 5 years old and it runs vista. Secondly what does "upgrading" mean? Upgrading the CPU? Ram? You could do it yourself for like half.

It is a good ideea but the companies whant to sell more not to upgrade your laptop , to do that u need to change the way they think because they think not how not to take your money

Ive solved the Future Proofing problem: http://www.wepc.com/vote/view/idea/6564/ASUS_Insight

This is kind of against what a laptop is supposed to be, most efficient package the technology allows. But:
- A single manufacturer can make a spec years in advance. If you want to spend more in the beginning maybe you can forestall buying a completely new pc later on (if it is otherwise modular).
- The more network-centric uses mean that maybe you can focus on upgrading a home server and the laptop can stay mostly the way it is.
- I would like to suggest two small hot swappable harddisks. You could easily back up and put one in a safe, you could put in bigger ones when they are developed and automatically copy old one onto it (via raid autoreplication or whatever). In other words, reward the consumer who wants to pay a bit more now so he has more power than he can use (or even the tech can deliver now) as long as he is virtually guaranteed an upgrade path in the future (please keep it open not just one manufacturer, if you can help it, but maybe this is not required.)
- Some things you will want to be able to do but can't now are clearly what is posted on this site. Like being aware of display and audio devices on the network, etc. So put a real good antenna into it that can also be modularly swapped maybe as these standards advance. Modularity adding 30% to price may be okay.
- The easiest things to make modular are the input/output devices. Like the screen, the keyboard, the touchpad / palm rest, back panel sockets, hard disks, etc. For one thing I would like to get an OLED screen. How do I do that now? How about an E-ink screen in 5 years when nice low power color models are out? Current laptops should have power consumption controls sufficient to become greener if you plug in greener modules than what you already have.