As others have said, current tech isn't quite there yet to replace screens in meatspace, but I think it's obvious to infer what general computing may be like 10-20 years down the road, if progress continues at a steady pace:
Laptops and tablets would no longer be distinct factors for mobile, because they'll be replaced by always-worn high quality AR glasses, which run off a phone in your pocket (as Apple's glasses are rumored to be) and project virtual screens into your view of the real world. The AR space may be shared by multiple users for public signage, advertisements or virtual pets and fashion, à la the anime Dennou Coil. [0]
Physical keyboards/mice/trackpads will probably still be around because I haven't seen anything to fully replace the need for tactile feedback, unless someone comes out with sensory gloves.
At home we would put our phones into a docking station for more processing power and to connect to a giant physical screen and sound system.
Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge constructs a very good description of such a world. I see it coming more and more to life with each passing year. If you've not read it, definitely worth a read.
> At home we would put our phones into a docking station for more processing power and to connect to a giant physical screen and sound system.
I feel like we got so close to that with Continuum on Windows Phone, but it was far enough away that it never took off. Drop your phone into a USB-C dock, and you'd get 1080p/1200p video out with a Windows 10-esque UI (desktop, Start menu), keyboard/mouse support, plus an additional USB-A. In practice though, the limitations (range of available apps for WP was mediocre, you couldn't run apps side-by-side on the monitor, some apps didn't implement a full screen UI) made it frustrating.
High-end Samsung phones do this with Dex, though I have only used it once. The app limitations make it nearly useless and. novelty. If anyone can pull it off it would be Apple with some sort of OSX VM.
RE BCIs: Totally agree. We need to figure out a way to allow people to "think-type" 20,000 distinct inputs. This is how we can totally escape the keyboard.
RE VR: I understand your skepticism, but people significantly underrate the quality of text that can be achieved in VR, even on today's hardware. Simula in particular has put in a lot of work in text resolution optimization (something that earlier VR Desktops failed completely at). This makes me able to use Simula for hours at a time, even on the old HTC Vive (2016 hardware). I won't lie and say it is equally impressive as a 4K monitor is today, but it's definitely usable and allows you to garner the other benefits of VR Desktop (10x more screens, 10x the size, 10x the focus/work immersions).
If you have an HTC Vive/Vive Pro/Valve Index, I can help you install Simula/give it a try. Contact me at george.w.singer [at] gmail [dot] com if you're interested.
Laptops and tablets would no longer be distinct factors for mobile, because they'll be replaced by always-worn high quality AR glasses, which run off a phone in your pocket (as Apple's glasses are rumored to be) and project virtual screens into your view of the real world. The AR space may be shared by multiple users for public signage, advertisements or virtual pets and fashion, à la the anime Dennou Coil. [0]
Physical keyboards/mice/trackpads will probably still be around because I haven't seen anything to fully replace the need for tactile feedback, unless someone comes out with sensory gloves.
At home we would put our phones into a docking station for more processing power and to connect to a giant physical screen and sound system.
[0] https://myanimelist.net/anime/2164/Dennou_Coil
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