the tablet that can replace your desktop (most of the time.)

[ImBleu]

There are always sacrifices on a tablet form factor. Just running a 30-50tdp cpu would require double the battery as the current surface which would add a not-insignificant amout of weight. I think even with eficiency gains in broadwell/skylake this is the minimum to not bottleneck a good external GPU. I'm using the surface pro 3 as a reference for form/design because an average consumer would not be willing to use anything significatly more in weight or size for a tablet. Adding anything else would definitly be pushing it.

 

I think that the weight and space for extra battery needed to run additional components is more of a issue than adding the components themselves. Perhaps with increases in power efficiency beyond skylake, a far more efficent gpu, and an amoled screen you could make it work, but I think that would be more than 4 years away. 

 

You either need the super portability of a tablet that you can hold with a single arm and use while standing, or you don't. In which case a laptop with a touchscreen plus maybe a digatizer makes more sense in every way. We just can't get the weight of a tablet with the components of a gaming laptop, unless you completely kill the battery life. 

 

Edit: I guess you could add a mobile gpu with only a slight increse in weight and thinkness and just carry some spare batteries to swap or use wall power whenever avalible. It's still pushing it I think though.

 

My home for the surface has always been about the type cover. If they made the type cover strong enough to support the screen without the kickstand, and make it marginally thicker (heck even as thick as the Surface Pro 3 itself) it'll still be an amazingly slim computer, and if they filled the type cover with a large battery it'd be the best of both worlds. Literally just strapping a Hinge and a battery to the type cover could improve the surface experience immensely.

[ClicheKHFan]

My home for the surface has always been about the type cover. If they made the type cover strong enough to support the screen without the kickstand, and make it marginally thicker (heck even as thick as the Surface Pro 3 itself) it'll still be an amazingly slim computer, and if they filled the type cover with a large battery it'd be the best of both worlds. Literally just strapping a Hinge and a battery to the type cover could improve the surface experience immensely.

 

Having a keyboard/base with the weight and strength to support the tablet would be a big improvement in my mind. It would allow an actual laptop experience. It would still be detachable, and would probably cost more than it does now. I imagine they could probably sell both keyboard cover types. The extra weight needed for the keyboard could be taken up mostly by battery. It could even have some I/O like an extra usb.

 

If u use the traditional cover it's the tablet that can replace your laptop, but if you use the sturdy extra battery option it becomes more the laptop that replaces your tablet and your desktop . There could even be separate power profiles.

 

At the same time you can still go for the basic chiclet keyboard to retain the smaller form is you're bulk sensitive. This whole Idea is about a device that can be used any way you want it.

 

An Amoled screen, front facing speakers, and macro buttons are extra valueble adds I could see.

[ImBleu]

Having a keyboard/base with the weight and strength to support the tablet would be a big improvement in my mind. It would allow an actual laptop experience. It would still be detachable, and would probably cost more than it does now. I imagine they could probably sell both keyboard cover types. The extra weight needed for the keyboard could be taken up mostly by battery. It could even have some I/O like an extra usb.

 

If u use the traditional cover it's the tablet that can replace your laptop, but if you use the sturdy extra battery option it becomes more the laptop that replaces your tablet and your desktop . There could even be separate power profiles.

 

At the same time you can still go for the basic chiclet keyboard to retain the smaller form is you're bulk sensitive. This whole Idea is about a device that can be used any way you want it.

 

An Amoled screen, front facing speakers, and macro buttons are extra valueble adds I could see.

 

There is already front facing speakers on the SP3, Macro keys aren't really there, but you have the FN + Key combo. AMOLED would be a good improvement, heck even if they took it to 1080p instead of 1440p it'd still be worth it.

 

Lets all start a new company and design tablet/laptop/desktop things

[ClicheKHFan]

There is already front facing speakers on the SP3, Macro keys aren't really there, but you have the FN + Key combo. AMOLED would be a good improvement, heck even if they took it to 1080p instead of 1440p it'd still be worth it.

 

Lets all start a new company and design tablet/laptop/desktop things

 Macro keys are on the Wacom cintique companion where they are a boon to productivity and gaming when using touch input.I wish I could either pitch this to microsoft or do like a kickstarter for this. I have no practicle knowledge or connections to get these made however, and It would deffinitly be way more exensive than from a manufacturing megacorp.

[ClicheKHFan]

It appears someone is trying to do an interesting mac tablet. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modbook/modbook-pro-x-154-retina-quad-core-mac-os-x-tablet

It's 5 pounds by itself doesn't support a external gpu and the keyboard is definitely not something I would consider easy to cary with it. It costs close to $3,000. It also doesn't work by touch if I'm correct, only pen. OS X is not a bad operating system but it's leagues behind as a touch tablet based system.

 

Also, I edited the OP to include features suggested throughout the thread and my Idea of what I/O would look like. My hope would be to keep this at most 3 pounds but I'd prefer closer to 2 like the surface.