For me and my co-workers that hasn't been the case. While thumb-drives have certainly aided me, I still need to bring paper-work home (to work at night). Just them mode of transportation has changed. I now use a backpack. I see folks use messenger bags, or other bags but very few brief cases.
I do the biggest thing that changed is backpacks have become acceptable to use in the business world. People who those to take things to and from work.
I think the biggest things that brought on this change was the growth of a laptop. Lets face it laptops would add a lot of weight to a brief case and would suck up almost all the room in them so something larger and lighter had to take is place so what people used in their school days entering into the world world. Back packs.
Hell my dad used to take a brief case to and from work everyday. Then he got a laptop for work. It moved to a messager bag which changed over to a backpack when he was having to travel between 2 different offices.
I agree. I was thinking that most people have a computer at work and a 'work' computer at home as well. I try not to cart my Big Expensive Mac off if I can avoid it.
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I personally think backpacks look unprofessional. Most manufacturers make very nice briefcases that have a good sized padded portion for laptops.
With laptops getting thinner/lighter/smaller a backpack shouldn't be necessary. In the semi-formal/formal business meetings I've been to, I can't remember a one with a backpack toter.