1. Navigate to merchant website
  2. Locate desired computer model on merchant website
  3. Place order for computer on merchant website
  4. Wait 2-5 business days
  5. Receive computer from doorstep
  6. Unpackage computer
  7. Connect computer to power
  8. Power on computer
  9. Answer OS setup prompts
  10. Create user account
  11. Copy files from last computer
  12. Install a decent browser
  13. Sign into Browser or migrate data from old to new browser
  14. Install every other program you can remember you need
  15. Fiddle with settings until 80% of them are set the same way as on last computer
  16. Work with reduced productivity for several weeks while adjusting to a slightly-off computing environment
  17. Wait 3 years
  18. Repeat

I’m imagining a world where this tedium is no longer necessary–where computers perfectly configured to your preferences and work style are delivered within 2 hours. Why let server administrators have all of the fun? Why couldn’t laptops be deployed and maintained with the same level of automation used for VPS instances?