Laying out the hardware design

Started putting this together today. This really helps me get past the sketching stage as it makes the ideas more concrete and you can begin to see other requirements you may not have noticed before.

For example, a slope in the laptop side may cause issues with adding ports for DVI, Firewire etc. However, the fact that this laptop is not hinged, means all the room at the back of the MacProTouch (seriously, send in those naming suggestions :) ) allows the entire back to be used for ports! which is very handy.

It also means the majority of the ports you would use regularly in real life can be kept to the side (headphones, usb ports) while less obvious ports can be put to the back (Gigabit Ethernet port, for example, Ethernet cable). I rarely use my Ethernet cable these days, and when i do, i find it annoying to put it at the same side as say a mouse or another usb cable, so why not put it at the back where it is less likely to be intrusive or snagged on?

You will also notice I've put only one audio port for mic/headphones/speakers. I still don't understand why two ports are needed, so my suggestion is to create a custom designed headset that allows you to either: speak and listen, or stay on mute and listen. An application should be clever enough to pick up the requirements needed of such a device. Itunes: listen only, skype, listen and speak. Ability to mute should be a click away on the headset. I will have sketches for this later.

Power button and the ability to lock the laptop (more on this later) have also conveniently been put at the side, but not near the ports that would accidentally be touched.

Last but not least, the front of the MacProTouch will be predominately a touchscreen, apart from two minimal sidings which a. allow for audio output, b. allow the user to handle the laptop at the sides when lifting it, without interfering with the touch screen. Sensors will help indicate whether the laptop is being moved and prevent the touchscreen from reacting automatically too.

Next time: The microphone, and what the back of the MacProTouch will look like.