From what I can tell, I am in the minority when it comes to my laptop desires. I like the biggest screen with the largest resolution I can get while being practical which means being aware of weight and whether my computing machine can be used in-flight. I like to have many applications open simultaneously and particularly enjoy being able to look at my notes while writing an article and not having to the Alt-Tab to view two windows during a single task.
It is for this reason I applaud Lenovo for coming out with the new W700ds - a dual screen wonder of a laptop which offers a 17-inch primary screen and a second 10.6-inch display. We know multiple screens increase productivity and this is especially true for knowledge workers who multitask.
At over 10 pounds, this is not exactly an ultra-portable device but it is one I would seriously consider as a power user.
My sense is this laptop is too much of an oddity to do well and at a starting price of $3,663. You can purchase a used car for this coin (albeit with high mileage). Perhaps this is why the laptop which just came out is on sale for $3,069.
If you have the money and want to max the laptop out with an Intel Core 2 Quad Core Extreme Processor QX9300 (2.53GHz 1066MHz 12MBL2), Windows Vista Ultimate 64, NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M 128-core CUDA parallel computing processor 1GB (dedicated), Ultranav + Fingerprint Reader + Pantone Color Sensor + WACOM Digitizer, integrated camera, a second 128GB SSD, Blu-ray recordable drive, integrated WiMAX and Microsoft Office Professional 2007, you are looking at a whopping list price of $6,520 and a sale price of $5,881! In fairness I added a second 160GB SSD. If you can live without it, the net price drops to a more reasonable (?) $5,062.
In this economic environment I just don't see this laptop gaining traction and although I haven't used it - it looks clunky for something so expensive.
In an era of netbooks where prices are a few hundred dollars for a fully functional XP/Vista device, it seems almost obscene that you could pay 20x more for a computer which does the same thing but with much more screen real estate and a cheetah-fast processor. Having said that, if you're getting paid a significant amount and are a power user or graphics professional, this laptop deserves consideration. And of course it goes without saying if you have rich parents and are a power-gamer, this thing is a must-have.
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