I’m tired of having to switch from one computer to another, or to juggle between different Docker containers. So I have a series of Raspberry Pi Zero Wireless ready to use, each one with a given application. I call them my hardware containers.
Among other applications: an MQTT + Node-RED local IoT server, a local WiFi router with shared files, an ad-remover server, …
Unless used headless, the main problem with computers, SBCs, pockets and laptops, relies on peripherals required for the human interface : the screen, the keyboard and the mouse take a lot of space.
So the idea would be to split the computer per se from those peripherals. There is already an interesting concept soon to be turned into a product by NexDock. The laptop features a 13.3" 1920x1080 touch-screen, a keyboard with a trackpad, speakers and a 51 Wh battery. It connects to the SBC through HDMI and USB. Unfortunately, the price point makes it hardly competitive against comparable solutions.
However, the concept seems promising and could meet a larger audience at a lower price point.