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Comment by reshie | Hacker News Reader

laptop docks so your not wiring everything every time and more ports. a desktop is a lot more modular but not mobile. with cloud sync(personal local or remote, or third parties) having two computers is less of a hassle. i see them with the same purpose but different circumstances but a laptop can play both roles with ease with the right setup.

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I don't agree with the part about desktops not being mobile, there are plenty of sub 10L cases that you can literally fit in your backpack and walk away. If you don't carry your computer around very often you can easily have a desktop that's portable. The most extreme example of this is the Velkase Velka 3[1].

- [1]: https://www.velkase.com/products/velka-3

I don't think it's useful to conflate the terms 'mobile' and 'portable'. You've been able to make a portable desktop for several decades. (I recall one Compaq that came in a closable case with a handle.) That's not typically what people mean by 'mobile'.

That 'extreme example' weighs as much as many laptops and it's just a case. Even if you carried a small display, and everything else you need, I doubt most people would take that out if they found themselves with extra time at the airport.

Edit: Found the machine I was thinking of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaq_Portable

That makes sense, I agree with you. Though I still think there’s something to be said about the mobility of desktop computers today and saying outright that they are not mobile might not do justice to them.

Edit: Especially with the rise of the Small form factor PC culture.

> Especially with the rise of the Small form factor PC culture.

Small cases have gotten pretty nice but if you have to carry around a separate screen to go with it then you might not end up any better off than if you had an all-in-one luggable computer.

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