Technology advances fast. My next laptop (which I foresee in my hands around the time of graduation) must have the following (or better, depending on technology and price):
- Solid state drive for silence, energy-efficiency, durability, cool operation and speed
- DDR3 memory
- LED backlight for power-efficiency and contrast
- Tablet functionality. No more paper!
- Graphics functionality good enough to run Sims 3 :P
- Low-voltage CPU–hopefully one that keeps the fan off 99% of the time
… in addition to the basic features like CD/DVD drive (burner), USB ports, wireless chipset, and multi-card reader (for SD cards and stuff). Let’s see how many of the above I actually get, and how many of them become superseded by more advanced (perhaps cheaper and more efficient) technology.