Why I won't buy an ultra-portable notebook (Yet)
Well that is not entirely true, I will by an ultra-portable notebook computer (< 4lbs) if it has the following characteristics (Yes I may be dreaming but by the EOY I think we might see such a beast):
- Core 2 Duo Processor (What is the deal with the LV and the ULV, they don't save that much power)
- 4 GB RAM (Do you really think 2GB is enough?)
- 1.8" SSD (>50MB/sec performance) or 2.5" 7200 rpm drive
- 64bit support (Must have support for x64 OS)
- LED backlit display
- Tablets should have dual touch screens
- The power adapter shouldn't weigh more that the notebook ;-)
- DVI/HDMI port
- 2-3x USB2 ports
- Express Card Slot
- Discrete graphics
- Price < $2000
All new notebooks are more than capable of running modern applications but the piece of technology that really needs to be left behind are the slow 1.8" 4200 rpm hard disks. I think we are at a point where the performance of ultra-portable notebooks doesn't have to suffer because of the small form factor. I think manufacturers should stop manufacturing these pathetically slow drives.
Fast SSDs from SanDisk and MTron will eventually come down in price where ultra-portables can really benefit from the performance previously only available to notebooks larger siblings...
Lately a few ultra-portable notebook PCs have gotten a lot of press, namely the Lenovo X300 and MacBook Air. I think the X300 has gotten it very close to right. I still would ditch the low voltage processor but for the most part this notebook has most of my criteria. From the many reviews, it looks like Lenovo didn't skimp on the performance of the SSD.