Here are the structural changes I'd most like to see in the construction of the next laptop I buy:

* Rubber Casing

Instead of making me buy purse, briefcase, and suitcase with protective laptop pockets, why not just give me a laptop that can take mild abuse? I'd like to see a laptop encased in rubber, neoprene, or something else that would solve the problem.

* Flexibility

One big difference between paper files and my laptop (that the laptop was supposed to replace) is that the files flex when I jam them into a bag. I've been thinking about what it would take to have some hinges in a motherboard.

* Guts behind the Screen

Everyone's written about the heat radiating from the underside of laptops. Since design and use are predicated on the theory that the portion of the box with the keyboard will sit on a solid surface (desk, lap, etc.), why put the heat generation there and then try to figure out how to disperse it? Why not put the heat behind the screen, the portion with the largest surface area exposed to the air? I know it would present some weight-balance challenges, but it would be worth it!