Is This What The Future Of Computing Looks Like?

If putting this month’s issue together has shown me anything, it’s that the show must go on. I continue to be interested in the duality of technology. Even as I write about the rise of AI and how software-driven ecosystems will quite possibly replace the spectacle of new hardware, the range of products reviewed this month also prove that innovation is alive and well. Chief of this is the new ASUS Zenbook Duo, which seems to have perfected the dual screen design. Now, you might think it’s too soon to say anything is perfect - and rightly so - since dual screen and folding devices are relatively new in the market and still very much niche. But, I remember the initial push for multi-screen computing back in Computex 2019. Back then, it was Intel who was doing the pushing. They showcased a few prototype designs codenamed Honeycomb Glacier and Twin Rivers At that time, I remember Intel saying such notebooks would become norm within 2 years, but in the last 5 years, only ASUS and Lenovo have been actively producing and experimenting with dual-screen notebooks like the Zenbook Duo, Zenbook 17 Fold, Yogabook 9i, and Thinkpad X1 Fold. It’s probably also not surprising that ASUS and Lenovo are also the two brands that have taken the charge to further mobile PC gaming platforms as well, as the ROG Ally gets direct competition in the likes of the Lenovo Legion Go (reviewed in this issue). Technically, all these devices are “Windows PCs”, running the same OS, but it is the hardware design that dictates how these devices would be used rather than the other way around. Unlike the days of the failed Netbook, all these new form factors we’re seeing today actually work really well, and are just getting better with each iteration.