As you might have noticed, laptop computers are getting more popular.  Users, meanwhile, are demanding more processing power and longer battery life from these machines, while at the same time expecting them to be as compact as possible and run as quietly (i.e. with as little cooling fan noise) as possible: in short, a perfect recipe for heat issues.

Research continues on cooler-running CPUs and longer-life batteries, but these challenges really have more to do with electrical and chemical engineering than with computer science.   Meanwhile, given the intensely competitive low-margin market computer makers find themselves in, companies are are finding themselves bumping up against the laws of physics - and often pushing the envelope (hence the infamous pickup-truck-destroying laptop battery incident).

While a burnt-out truck makes for a good story, the more likely adverse effects of heat fatigue are less dramatic - but still worth avoiding.  Usually, over time excessive heat leads to early hardware failure.  Often this can be an easily replaceable power supply, but just as often, repeated temperature extremes can cause early system circuit board failure (in which case the laptop is usually totaled) or early hard drive failure (and let’s face it, local laptop data tends to get backed up less than desktop data).   And to an unusual extent, it’s up to the consumer to protect themselves - because why wouldn’t a manufacturer (who might be just looking to make the next quarter’s numbers) be tempted to sell you a machine with great specs even if that means it runs hot and is likely to break a year or two sooner than it should?   To the extent that just puts you back in the market for a new laptop that much sooner, it’s kind of a win-win, no?

Conspiracy theories aside, this is all by way of saying that heat is a big issue - and it’s up to the user to be aware of it.  I’m a part-time musician, and for a while, I was doing shows with various groups in New York and Boston using a laptop in a live performance situation.  After that first heat-related shutdown in the middle of a show, I resolved to never suffer that embarrassing nightmare again - so I went online and found an entire cottage industry in primitive-looking but effective laptop cooling racks.  The  concept was simple: elevate the machine for more air flow, and slap on one or more USB-powered fans to help move more of that air through the machine.  I bought one of the first-generation unit shown below, and since then have never had another thermal shutdown (curious house cat purchased separately).

As a firm believer in the long-term benefits of keeping machines (and especially laptops) cool, I was interested to see that Microsoft has just come out with an updated (and much better-looking) cooling rack of their own (at left).  While this device might be met with a few ho-hums from a technology press more accustomed to covering the next world-changing smart phone, kudos to Microsoft - because with the current generation of small, powerful, barely adequately cooled laptops out there (laptops that we all happen to be depending upon more and more, by the way), the time is right for this device.

And hey, it also solves an ergonomic issue by putting the keyboard an a better angle - so it’s good for you and your leeetle friend….