Not talking about a physical desktop here, but your computer! Didn't you know laptops consume that much less energy than a typical desktop PC to get the same kind of work done? Switching from a desktop PC to a laptop will save you cash. Where a desktop PC uses anywhere from 100-200 Watts, a laptop uses around 50. But of course you knew this already, being a loyal TechTheFuture reader ;).

Personally I am really excited by the interesting shift the computer industry is making. Where once building faster and better processors was all there was to it, manufacturers are now moving towards building them smaller and slower. Talk about technological progress! But it's a simple story, really. Laptops benefit from having energy efficient components so they have a longer battery life.

The birth of the netbook (Asus started the riot in 2007) and subsequently the smartbook are prime examples of the way the industry is changing. Not only are these products about being more portable because of their size, but also being more portable because of their low energy consumption. Netbooks are small laptops with low specifications (compared to 'real' laptops), and Smartbooks are similar small laptops, but powered by more energy efficient ARM processors, positioning themselves in between smartphones and Netbooks.

Next to that, energy saving technology such as dynamically downclocking processors when PCs are idle, are finding their way to desktop PCs. The average computer-use does not need high speed processors and advanced graphics cards. Bring on the small and the slow!

For more information, check out this overview of desktop/laptop and netbook power usage by the University of Pennsylvania, and this article by Energy Star on Laptop vs. Desktop.