The MacBook Air is a lightweight Macintosh notebook computer by Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs revealed the laptop by removing it from a manila envelope at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. Apple claims it to be the "world's thinnest notebook"at 0.76 inches thick at its thickest point and 0.16 inches (0.41 cm) at its thinnest. Apple's new MacBook Air may be the thinnest laptop on the market, but it isn't the lightest.
But Toshiba, Lenovo, Fujitsu and Sony are just some of the companies already making laptops that weigh less than the 3-pound Air. Toshiba's Portege R500 starts at 1.72 pounds, while Lenovo's ThinkPad X61 is 2.7 pounds. The Air "is really similar to a product that we came out with four years ago," says Sony Senior Vice President Mike Abary.
But many people aren't familiar with these pint-size PCs, and the market for them is relatively small, says tech analyst Stephen Baker at researcher NPD. Of the 110.3 million laptops sold worldwide in 2007, only 7.5 million had a screen size of 12 inches or less, researcher IDC says. (The Air's screen is larger than that, but screen size is the way analysts typically identify light, ultra-portable PCs.)
That's because ultra-portables are a niche market and a tough sell, Baker says. Reasons include:
Price. The smaller an internal computer component, the more it typically costs. Since a normal laptop weighs 5 or 6 pounds, it takes a lot of expensive specialty parts to build an ultra-portable. One of Sony's least expensive ultra-portable is $2,100, and its priciest model sells for $3,700. Toshiba's tiny machines start at around $2,150. In comparison, full-size Dell laptops start at $499.
Feature compromises. To save space, computer makers cut features. The MacBook Air doesn't have a CD/DVD drive or an easily swappable battery. Some models of Fujitsu's Lifebook P1620 come with a battery half as powerful as is standard. The Sony Vaio TZ has an 11.1-inch screen, compared with 15.4 inches on larger Sony models.
For more details on Many laptops are lighter than MacBook Air visit www.halfvalue.com and www.halfvalue.co.uk For more information on books visit www.Lookbookstores.com
But Toshiba, Lenovo, Fujitsu and Sony are just some of the companies already making laptops that weigh less than the 3-pound Air. Toshiba's Portege R500 starts at 1.72 pounds, while Lenovo's ThinkPad X61 is 2.7 pounds. The Air "is really similar to a product that we came out with four years ago," says Sony Senior Vice President Mike Abary.
But many people aren't familiar with these pint-size PCs, and the market for them is relatively small, says tech analyst Stephen Baker at researcher NPD. Of the 110.3 million laptops sold worldwide in 2007, only 7.5 million had a screen size of 12 inches or less, researcher IDC says. (The Air's screen is larger than that, but screen size is the way analysts typically identify light, ultra-portable PCs.)
That's because ultra-portables are a niche market and a tough sell, Baker says. Reasons include:
Price. The smaller an internal computer component, the more it typically costs. Since a normal laptop weighs 5 or 6 pounds, it takes a lot of expensive specialty parts to build an ultra-portable. One of Sony's least expensive ultra-portable is $2,100, and its priciest model sells for $3,700. Toshiba's tiny machines start at around $2,150. In comparison, full-size Dell laptops start at $499.
Feature compromises. To save space, computer makers cut features. The MacBook Air doesn't have a CD/DVD drive or an easily swappable battery. Some models of Fujitsu's Lifebook P1620 come with a battery half as powerful as is standard. The Sony Vaio TZ has an 11.1-inch screen, compared with 15.4 inches on larger Sony models.
For more details on Many laptops are lighter than MacBook Air visit www.halfvalue.com and www.halfvalue.co.uk For more information on books visit www.Lookbookstores.com
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