[nknighthb]

I feel like we read vastly different articles. I read an article where the author discussed the limitations of laptops as they existed thirty years ago (when, I'll remind you, this[0] 12-pound beast was state-of-the-art), discussed some advancements that would need to be made for them to have more widespread appeal, and discussed some realities of how, when, and where people use computers that remain essentially accurate today.

[0] http://oldcomputers.net/kaypro2000.html

[stevebot]

If that was the case, I wouldn't have had a problem with the authors viewpoint but it statements like,

For the most part, the portable computer is a dream machine for the few.

that really miss.

And then their is the conclusion, which comes after the author acknowledges the possibility of improvements in laptops.

But the real future of the laptop computer will remain in the specialized niche markets. Because no matter how inexpensive the machines become, and no matter how sophisticated their software, I still can't imagine the average user taking one along when going fishing.

What?! To me that just shows the author downplaying the idea of the technology. He just couldn't imagine any laptop ever being more than a "niche".

[nknighthb]

> "For the most part, the portable computer is a dream machine for the few."

I would say that 30 years ago, this was an objective statement of fact.

> He just couldn't imagine any laptop ever being more than a "niche".

And you'll see he was and is correct if you consider, as the author was, the usage model. People largely use modern laptops the same way they use desktop PCs. They simply transport them between their regular workspaces. Multiple devices have been collapsed to one, but the way people use them remains the same.

You are focusing very narrowly on the physical devices that the (then and now) inaccurate label "laptop" has been applied to. The article makes much more sense if you abstract to the concept of a laptop, particularly as pushed by marketers 30 years ago.