I've been "minimizing" throughout the years.

I began with a standard 15.4" widescreen laptop, which started to weigh on me when I also started having to move around more.

I had a 13.3" laptop after that, but swore I wouldn't be able to use something smaller. (yeah, right)

Took me two months to find my good old Thinkpad X31 (12 inch screen), which I won't be replacing anytime soon, as it's still the perfect laptop for me. There are few things I don't like in that laptop, I have an ongoing love affair with the nipple and everything.

Last "minimization" was the N800. With a few tweaks I had it running everything I need when I'm on the go, especially after having found an adapter which allows me to use a mini USB keyboard, connect everything else I need through a powered USB hub.

Lately I've been leaving the X31 at home and have been taking the N800 everywhere. So, in my case the N800 really replaced my desktop. I'll explain: the X31 is irreplaceable, but I tend to use it more in-house, everywhere, instead of having to sit anchored to a desk. In this hierarchy of gadgets the N800 replaced the laptop's competence, whereas the laptop replaced the desktop's.

Laptops have been selling like candy, and what they're truly replacing is desktops. Most people (non IT) that I know use them mostly as desktop replacements, because they use less space, are much more energy-efficient and are still quite portable.

So this is as I see it: the desktop is what's truly endangered. If laptops were as upgradeable as desktops, we would have already met the demise of the desktop computer, especially considering how people are using laptops with external monitors nowadays. The desktop's niche is still the gamer community, but with consoles acquiring more desktop capabilities (e.g., the PS3), the appeal will certainly diminish over time.