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Isn’t it remarkable that in 2011 (that’s “twenty-eleven”) you can still destroy a computer with nothing more than a simple glass of water? Not only your computer, mind you, but also your telephone, calendar, notepad, map, stopwatch, and whatever else you use your smartphone for these days. It’s one of the most basic flaws of modern computing.

It’s easy to see why a laptop would be this susceptible. The cases were bulky and designed to be accessible for upgrades. Looking at a modern notebook — the MacBook Air, let’s say — we have a computer with everything integrated, leaving vulnerable only the keys, I/O, and air vent. We’ve already seen keyboard drains in Lenovo laptops, and I/O is something that could be protected with something akin to a door cover. Short-circuiting could be handled with what’s essentially a circuit breaker.*

That leaves the air vents, which a friend rightly pointed out could be cleverly handled by water cooling the computer. Oh, the irony.

Furthermore, the iPhone needs no cooling vents. Sealing up the case, switching to waterproof speaker/mic and adding the circuit breaker would mean a waterproof smartphone. This can be further simplified with wireless sync and inductive charging.

Now before you ask why Apple would want to cannibalize sales of replacement units, imagine the buzz this would create. “Buy an Apple. They’re waterproof.” People would buy these products for the same reason people buy insurance, and the boost in sales would far outpace any loss in revenue from what is in all actuality a fairly rare occurrence.

Most importantly, this would turn a bad experience into a great experience. Customers want to be happy, and they’d be delighted that Apple saved their day. This is worth its weight in gold.

* (I wonder if this could be done per-port and managed via software. Any electrical engineers out there?)