Lenovo IdeaPad S10
Lenovo IdeaPad S10

Computer makers seem to be trying to find a middle ground between pint sized netbooks (1o inches or smaller) and full sized laptops (usually 14 inches or larger). Notebooks with 11 and 12 inch screens have existed for a while, but they typically carried high price tags. But today Dell and Samsung are offering 12 inch notebooks with low power, low cost processors that help keep the price down.

Now it looks like Lenovo is getting in on the action. DigiTimes reports that the company is planning an IdeaPad S20 notebook which will apparently bear a more than passing resemblance to the Lenovo Ideapad S10 netbook.

The Lenovo IdeaPad S20 will reportedly have a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 CPU and GN40 chipset, and would ship with Windows XP… at least until Windows 7 is ready. DigiTimes suggests the computer could retail for $20,000 Taiwanese, or about $586 US. But it’s worth noting that these computers are usually cheaper in the US, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the price is closer to $400 or $500 in the US.

via NetbookTech

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6 replies on “Lenovo plans a 12 inch, Atom-powered notebook”

  1. This is not a smart product. Let netbooks exist in their realm and let laptops exist in theirs. If you are going to go 12 inches or larger why don’t you get it over with already and offer a 17 inch Intel Atom powered monstrosity? A 12-17 inch netbook would be like a five year old child the size of Shaquille Oneal.

    1. Yeah, nice to see I am not the only one noticing the issue with the so called netbook segment. At this point the netbook is redefining the notebook.

      A netbook is/was supposed to be something small and light primarily for net surfing. The definition of a netbook does not include “Atom processor” At a certain size it is no longer a netbook, Atom processor or not.

      I am not sure how strong Atom will end up, but if it becomes strong enough to handle standard notebook tasks the terms netbook and notebook will be redundant.

  3. I actually think that Intel Atom powered notebooks with 12 inch screen will be very popular within a year. As long as battery life is good, weight is around 3 pounds, and the price is around $500 – I’m sure that it’ll be the perfect portable solution for a lot of people.

    Having a large keyboard, and screen that has a lot more pixels than a 10 inch netbook, will simply appeal to a lot of people IMO. For the average consumer, there are no computer tasks that cannot be performed on such a computer. The coming of Windows 7 will only make this option more compelling.

  4. What is the advantage? Battery life? You could buy a traditional laptop and a spare battery for the cost of these things.

    Do we need to come up with a name for this segment of the market? Not netbook and not traditional laptop. Tweenbook?

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