Lenovo have teased a futuristic prototype of a laptop with a transparent display.

The Thinkbook Transparent Display is a 17.3-inch laptop with a MicroLED display that appears (almost) clear when unlit. This creates the effect of near-transparency when using dark mode apps, while a white, full-brightness display remains opaque.

In practice the display has no bezel, and is currently only 720p, which would now feel a little basic compared to most modern laptops. Like most devices, the top of the base contains most of the components, with the keyboard being a projection.

Lenovo has form for unusual laptop concepts – being among the first to experiment with rollable displays, touch keyboards, dual-displays and other unusual variants – as well as a prototype transparent smartphone.

While technologically impressive, it’s not entirely clear what practical applications transparent displays have for this form factor. Lenovo argue this is another kind of augmented reality, with the user able to look behind the screen or visually check design work against the real world, although laptops usually rest on a surface while being used.

The first transparent laptops appeared more than a decade ago from Samsung, and LG plan the release of an OLED transparent TV for 2024, although Lenovo’s attempt is one of the most impressive to date.

For now the transparent ThinkBook is a mostly just an advert for Lenovo’s more conventional laptops, but Lenovo acknowledges one major strength: a screen which “seamlessly blends and harmonises with its surroundings.” Or, to put it another way, perhaps one day all our giant screens will be a little less… in the way.

Several major PC manufacturers have disclosed a new rental PC payment model to dramatically slash the cost of upgrading your PC.

Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft have all recently announced new ‘PC-as-a-service’ schemes whereby rental PCs will be available to businesses entirely under a pay-monthly model rather than an upfront purchase.

Software services, particularly popular cloud-based offerings like Microsoft’s Office 365, have been increasingly moving to a subscription model for some time, offering both consistent cash flow for software developers and all the advantages of low-entry costs to their user base.

Hardware developers are finally catching up with this trend, offering PC hardware to the business sector on a rental basis – with the formerly high up-front cost of upgrading hardware spread over a longer period, more akin to credit-backed contract markets for mobile phones or cars.

A rental PC arrangement obviously poses a risk to the technology giants – accepting that the dominant future model for sales may be one where they still carry significant financial risk for devices already ‘in-use’ across the business market.

Microsoft in particular took a big step in this direction with their ‘Surface-as-a-Service’ last year –  offering subscription based premium touchscreen devices to business customers in the US (although these are subject to credit checks and other lending precautions.)

For Dell, HP and Lenovo, by far the world’s three biggest PC manufacturers, to take the same step represents a huge volume increase in this kind of approach, significantly cutting upfront costs for businesses investing in physical hardware.

Your PC won’t be the last you pay for, but it could be the last you ever ‘buy’ in the sense we now understand it.

For PC support and expertise: contact Lineal today.