I originally wrote this as a reply to the recent ASUS Notebook Contest. I really like the idea of swappable modules that everyone suggested but I'm afraid that there are too many technical limitations.
- You'll have to get everyone to use a standard form factor.
- The power your original laptop can provide will always be a constraint (unless you give it a modular power supply) if you want to upgrade to something more powerful.
- The additional plug-and-play interface will definitely increase the laptop's size and weight.
- Providing cooling will be tricky.
I think a better alternative would be a modular system that you can daisy chain with a thunderbolt like interface instead of trying to cram everything into the laptop. This way you could keep your machine lean and portable but provide extensibility.
I'll give you a quick pitch of what I have in mind:
Disktop™ - A stackable modular extension platform.
You buy disks to add functionality to your laptop. The disks can have different dimensions but have a universal connection near the middle that allows them to interface with each other and provide power. You can stack them up and they will daisy chain together. This way you only have to connect ONE CABLE to any of the disks and your set, no usb cables and docks to mess around with.
If you need some extra graphics power you just get the latest Radeon/Nvidia disk and have it drive your existing laptop screen or use it's HDMI out to connect to an external screen. When you hit the road for a meeting or lecture you detach it and don't worry about the additional weight and power drain. You can take it along if your really need the extra power, it's just one cable to connect anyway.
This way you can add all kinds of disks:
- additional storage
- a netwerking disk that acts as a WiFi extender or ethernet card
- a hub for your mouse and mech keyboard that charges your laptop
- a portable power supply that can provide additional watts and act as a back-up
If you have any ideas for disks, feel free to post them...