Lenovo on Tuesday launched the ultrathin, ultralight ThinkPad X300 notebook, which immediately invited comparisons to Apple’s MacBook Air. The laptop is three-fourths of an inch at its thinnest and weighs as low as 2.9 pounds. It includes solid-state drive storage, a 13.3-inch LED backlit WXGA+ high-resolution display, and low-voltage processors.
“Our customers told us that they wanted a notebook that was amazingly thin and light,” said Peter Hortensius, Lenovo senior vice president, “but they still wanted their battery options, their USB ports and, of course, their DVD burner.”
A ‘Great Step’
Hortensius made obvious references to features the Air has been criticized for lacking, notably a battery removable by the user, USB ports in excess of the Air’s single port, and no internal optical drive. The Air does offer wireless access to an external drive.
The X300 is a “great step in the progression of the ThinkPad line,” said Doug Bell, an analyst with industry research firm IDC. He added that the X300 is “what a lot of road warriors are looking for,” and the option of either Windows XP or Vista is “a big plus” because many enterprises are reluctant to move to the newer Vista operating system.
The biggest hurdle for businesses, Bell said, is the price, which starts at $2,799. He noted that many business users do not have input into which model is purchased for them, and IT departments may be put off by the cost. But he added that the X300 could be of interest to consumers and the MacBook Air is primarily a consumer-oriented product.
Airplane Materials
With the X300, road warriors will have plenty of options. The laptop includes stereo speakers, a digital microphone, and an integrated camera. For the itinerant salesperson, the new notebook boasts a roll cage to protect it from falls and drops.
Lenovo…