Pentium power. The new processors, coupled with fast CD-ROM drives, huge hard drives, and big screens, mean that the next crop of notebooks will be even better suited as full desktop replacements.
Vendors are backing these systems in almost all cases with screens that support 1024- by 768-pixel resolution, 32 MB or more of RAM, 3-GB or more hard drives, and, in many cases, a 20X CD-ROM drive. Multimedia capabilities are greatly enhanced, with an emphasis on quality sound, full-motion video, and 3-D graphics support. In fact, as notebook designs mature, it may get harder for vendors to differentiate their products.
"It is getting harder and harder for companies to come up with bust-out, whizbang features," says Bruce Stephen, an analyst with IDC (Framingham, MA). "We are seeing a lot more of the 'cup-holder phase,' where people make small design changes to try and differentiate themselves."
One point of differentiation will be in screens. IBM and Digital Equipment are
rumored to be preparing new ThinkPads and HiNote notebooks with 14-inch screens, but both companies declined to comment on unannounced products. Unless they use radical new materials to hold the display, a new notebook format -- one that's about an inch wider than current notebooks -- will be required.
AST's Ascentia M series will offer up to a 233-MHz Pentium with MMX. Also, AST will pack in a 20X CD-ROM drive, up to a 4-GB hard drive, a 13.3-inch display, and a 56-Kbps modem. Prices will range from $2499 to $5499 depending on the configuration.
NEC's new Versa 6220 series will show a largely similar features list. NEC will use either a 200- or 233-MHz Pentium with MMX processor with a 256-KB L2 cache, 32 MB of RAM (128 MB maximum), a 3.2- or 5.2-GB hard drive, a 20X CD-ROM drive, 3-D stereo graphics with 16-bit sound, a 56-Kbps cellular- ready modem, 2 MB of video memory, and video out ports. NEC opted for the LS-120 floppy drive, which takes either standard 1.44-MB disks or the high-capacity 12
0-MB LS-120 disks. Prices for the Versa 6220, which ships in October, will be $5199 to $5999. You can expect roughly comparable offerings and prices from the remainder of the established companies as well as newer players such as
Hitachi
, Fujitsu, and Sony.
In addition to their faster clock speeds, Intel's newest mobile Pentiums consume less power: less than 5 W compared to 7.7 W for the 166-MHz chip. But the potential savings on battery consumption will probably be eaten by bigger screens and faster drives. In fact, many users may opt for notebooks with the smaller 13.3-inch active-matrix thin-film transistor (TFT) screens because they will be less expensive and consume less battery power. But the good news is that users who want maximum screen real estate should soon have their wishes granted.
On the other side of the spectrum, Toshiba's Libretto has shown there is interest in a return to the subnotebook size or ultraportable, as it is sometimes called. NEC and IBM may join
Toshiba in manufacturing these tiny machines.
The new ultraportables may be either souped-up versions of Windows CE devices (slightly larger than the current models and with better keyboards) or Libretto-style -- smaller notebooks with small screens but running Windows 95. We may even see a new class emerge this year: ultrathin (about 0.7-inch thick) notebooks that use the Tillamook and new battery technologies such as lithium polymer.
The ultimate winners may be those who are interested in machines that don't push either extreme. At the $2500 price point, users will find the so-called value lines with a good mix of equipment and often all-in-one (floppy and CD-ROM drives available simultaneously) styling.
photo_link (50 Kbytes)
Hitachi's $4999 VisionBook Elite has a 13.3-inch screen and weighs just over 5 pounds.
More Power, Bigger Screens to Go
