And manufacturers are keen to bring additional screens into play, from 2009’s Lenovo’s Thinkpad W700 with its built-in extendable tablet to modern devices like the Asus ZenBook Duo, or Lenovo Yoga Book 9i — and some frankly absurd variants along the way.

But what’s next for the laptop? Will it be Lenovo’s transparent laptop or will AI transform the laptop into handheld devices like how the Steam Deck and ROG Ally X represent a potential reinvention of the gaming laptop? Well, in my opinion, and many others, the next step is augmented reality.

Modern laptops are stuck between two desires, smaller form factors and larger displays. Both of which have their benefits, but you can’t gain more of one without giving up some of the other.

Researchers in the emerging field of spatial computing have developed a prototype augmented reality headset that uses holographic imaging to overlay full-color, 3D moving images on the lenses of what would appear to be an ordinary pair of glasses. Unlike the bulky headsets of present-day augmented reality systems, the new approach delivers a visually satisfying 3D viewing experience in a compact, comfortable, and attractive form factor suitable for all-day wear.

“Our headset appears to the outside world just like an everyday pair of glasses, but what the wearer sees through the lenses is an enriched world overlaid with vibrant, full-color 3D computed imagery,” said Gordon Wetzstein, an associate professor of electrical engineering and an expert in the fast-emerging field of spatial computing.

Wetzstein and a team of engineers introduce their device in a new paper in the journal Nature (“Full-colour 3D holographic augmented-reality displays with metasurface waveguides”).