Each airline has their own rules but usually the weight limit is for both articles combined. Some airlines rarely enforce this though...Originally posted by eblend
Most airlines I have flown allow one standard article and 1 personal article, and laptop is considered a personal article.
I always bring my backpack (or carry-on luggage) plus a shoulder bag which has my laptop and passports and all that. The carry on goes on top, the shoulder bag with laptop on the bottom under the feet. I assume you want to have everything in one, but the weight of a laptop shouldn't be a limiting factor as you can always bring it separately from the bag.