My suggested form factor

The drawing is crude but the concept is both retro and advanced. The large touch-pad and buttons represent a distinct advantage over the tiny touch-pad and buttons on conventional laptops. They will rival the user-friendliness and capability of a mouse in an intuitive way.

Additional there is no wasted space around the touch-pad, as there is normally on conventional laptops. The keyboard should be reduced, but not very. Perhaps a number-pad-less keyboard would assist. It should be possible to source these components. There will be space in the hollowed compartment under the keyboard to connect the wires and place the power supply and perhaps place a DVD/R. The screen will be elongated "theatre mode," actually pretty large-looking for a laptop but it also will detach and prop up on a pedestal for home use.