As people have moved away from desktop computers in the last few years, there has also been a move away from laptops recently. As more powerful tablets and smart phones are coming available, people are no longer content to lug around laptops. Tablets and many smart phones can now do word processing, surf the web and check email. For someone who is on the go, carting around a laptop seems counter intuitive.
While laptop computers are still quite popular, for mobile use more and more people are turning towards the mobility offered by things like the iPad, Kindle and Galaxy tablets. Many tablets can even be connected to Bluetooth wireless keyboards, essentially turning them into laptops anyway. The iPad also allows you to print from it, and the Kindle Fire is automatically connected to Amazon’s cloud storage service. This means that people can work wherever they happen to be.
In the next few years, laptops may be replaced by high power mobile devices that allow you to connect peripherals wirelessly, eliminating bulk but still giving the option of using mice and keyboards. Further, with many tablets using 3G and 4G for internet connections, people may be eventually able to disconnect their home internet service.