Antec launches standardised laptop parts

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 20th August 2008

Antec is dreaming of a world where the ability to offer customised laptops isn't restricted to tier-one OEMs like Dell.

If you've always wanted to custom-build a laptop in the same way as a desktop, you might want to keep an eye on Antec's latest creations.

According to ExtremeTech, the manufacturer is planning to launch a series of standardised components designed to be fitted together to make a laptop. Rather than requiring custom parts and expensive tooling, the idea is that purchasers will be able to pick and choose keyboards, batteries, webcams, internal Bluetooth modules, and different power adaptors according to need.

Launched at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco yesterday, the series of parts is built around Intel's Common Building Block platform which aims to have the major parts of a laptop computer – the disk drive, the removable media drive, display, battery, keyboards, and AC adaptors – built around a common standard so that they can be swapped out and customised at will.

The bad news is that the custom parts are, for the moment, aimed firmly at smaller OEMs looking to build laptop systems with as much variety and customisation as those offered by bigger fish such as Dell and Lenovo. David Forster, director of channel relations at Antec, is hopeful that the technology will spread to the home-build market but “when that phase will happen, I couldn't tell you.”

Tempted by the though of one day building your own totally custom laptop system, or is the modularity likely to impact on the size and portability compared to specially designed pre-built units? Share your thoughts over in the forums.