14 DAY TRIAL // Working people interested in upgrading to a new top-notch laptop have two options these days, one of which sounds great, in terms of functionality, while the other boasts more style and grace than features. However, both Apple's MacBook Air and Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 might be getting a boost, making them even more attractive.
The boost comes from Toshiba, who is planning on introducing a new 1.8" HDD model, which not only does it meet market standards as far as its size goes, but offers either 80GB or 120GB at 5400 RPMs. MK1216GSG (120GB) and MK8016GSG (80GB) meet the new SATA 2.6 specification incorporating a micro-SATA connector. The 5400 RPM was once reserved for earlier 2.5" HDDs (in the mobile sector).
Currently, Apple's MacBook air comes in two forms: the 80GB HDD (hard disk drive) enabled model, which starts at $1799, and the 64GB SSD (solid state drive) SKU (also adds a couple more features), which Apple sells for 3,100 bucks. The latter is of course more efficient in terms of reading and writing speed, but some may argue that the extra thousand bucks isn't worth it. Needless to say, while NAND flash memory price is dropping more than ever, Apple still charges a lot for the high end Air, which makes it not so attractive anymore.
That's where Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 comes in. With a $3,000 price tag, this laptop offers everything that Air can't, and then some: optical drive, ethernet port, three USB 2.0 ports (while the Air only offers one) and, of course, the much beloved removable battery. It's not very thick or heavy either. On top of it all, Lenovo has dispensed the HDD altogether and only offers SSD X300s.
Now that Toshiba's 1.8 incher is due out soon, Lenovo might just want to tweak up the X300's original configuration, as well as its entry price, which would make it a great choice for computing on the go. Then of course, the Air may very well receive the upgrade which would also make Apple's laptop more attractive.
(via Daily Tech)
