AIOs aren't truly all in one. But this new thing could be!

I have seen numerous computers that claim to be “all in one” but they never are. Usually, it’s the computer built into the monitor, and occasionally, the computer will be inside the keyboard EX: The IMac, and the RPi 400. In both cases, two of the peripherals are separate. In the case of traditional AIOs, you still need to buy a keyboard and mouse, and in the case of keyboard computers, you need to buy a mouse and monitor. You know what type of device actually has everything in one package? What type of machine is truly all in one? Laptops. Laptops integrate the Computer, monitor, keyboard, and even the mouse into one package. Yeah, that is kinda obvious, especially given whose website this is, but anyway, my point being, if you want a truly all in one desktop computer, it may be an interesting idea for someone (a company) to make the solution. The solution: a 27 inch “laptop” that is actually meant to just sit on your desk. There are many benefits to this. For starters, due to everything being in one package, it still is more portable than the traditional tower PC, so you could more easily take it with you, say for instance, when you move to a new city, or something like that. Additionally, it could have a built-in battery, so even if your power goes out, you can still continue using it for a while. Finally, since this thing would be so big, you may be able to fit the power supply internally. No external power brick needed! Overall, I think this is a neat idea. It may never become an actual product, but, I just thought I would throw the idea out there. Before I go, I would like to mention that I will probably take a long time to respond to your comments. That concludes my idea. Thanks for reading!

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So at the top of the screen you have a projection keyboard so you don’t need a real keyboard. Don’t know what you would do for a mouse.

There is a very good reason for having an external brick - you only need to get UL etc certification for the brick, whereas if the brick gets built in then the whole unit needs the same UL etc certs, whereas if the brick is outside the UL certs on the main unit are less onerous. That is a major reason why so many items use wall wart power supplies.

My initial thoughts are about the integrated keyboard and mouse/trackpad. If I’m using a 27" monitor on a desk, having a separate keyboard and mouse makes way more sense for me. With a separate keyboard and mouse I can get as close or as far away from the monitor as I want, I could shift the keyboard and mouse to one side or the other with the monitor off to one side, or have the monitor sitting on an elevated platform or hanging on the wall. I can also choose any keyboard and mouse that I want. Also, there wouldn’t be a 27" base taking up space on the desk, as there would be if it was truly a laptop form factor. Obviously, there would be nothing stopping me from plugging an external keyboard/mouse into a 27" laptop, but then the integrated stuff would be taking up space on the desk unnecessarily. Personally, even if I were to want a 27" “all-in-one,” I would personally want the mouse and keyboard separate.

I’m sure there are many people who would be totally fine with the integrated keyboard and trackpad of a “desktop laptop.” For me, the fact that the keyboard and mouse are tied to the monitor is one reason why a laptop would not be an ideal, true desktop replacement for me. Still, it’s an interesting idea. But one that I think would fit into a pretty small market. But that’s just me. I could be way off base with what others would find beneficial for their use case.

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Those are some very good points. I guess this idea maybe wouldn’t work that well. To be honest, now that you mention it’s flaws, it does also seem kinda pointless. It was an interesting idea, but in the end, it’s probably not as great as I initially thought. Thanks for the replies!