Rumored PortÃ©gÃ©s to Challenge MacBook Air?

By Nick Mokey January 21, 2008

It hasn’t taken long, following Apple’s MacBook Air announcement, for other competitors to wheel out their own ultra-thin offerings – or at least for news of them to leak to Web outlets. Yesterday it was Lenovo’s rumored X300 ultra-light notebook that cropped up on Gizmodo, and more recently, the upcoming Toshiba Portégé R500 models leaked on Akihabara News.

According to Akihabara, Toshiba will release an R500-11J and a R500-11I, both with the same 1-inch-thick form factor (at the thickest portion), but with the 11J model ending up as the lighter of the two thanks in part to an omitted optical drive. This shaves weight from 999 grams on the 11l to just 779 grams (1.7 lbs) on the 11J. These specs make both notebooks significantly lighter than the 3-pound MacBook Air, but still not quite as thin, with the Air reaching only .76 inches at its thickest portion. Screen size is also smaller on the Toshiba, 12.1 inches compared to the Air’s 13.3.

Inside, both models will come configured with much of the same hardware, including an Intel U7600 Centrino Core 2 Duo processor running at 1.2GHz, Intel’s GMA 950 chipset for graphics, and up to 2GB of RAM. Built-in Wi-Fi will be standard, but more importantly, HSDPA Internet will be available as an upgrade. One notable difference will come from hard drives. The 11J will receive a 64GB solid-state drive, while the 11l gets a 120GB SATA drive.

While neither specs nor prices have been officially verified by Toshiba, Akihabara claims the 11J will sell for €2500 ($3,659) at launch, with the 11l going for €2050 ($3,000).

Editors' Recommendations

Managing Editor

As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…

Computing

A new wave of powerful laptops rises to challenge the MacBook Pro

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

The MacBook Pro got really powerful in its most recent update. The 16-inch M3 Max configuration bumps the graphics performance significantly, making it unlike anything you can buy for professional content creators.

But Windows laptops are responding. There's a new wave of non-gaming laptops that are integrating GPUs up to an RTX 4070 and challenging the performance of the MacBook Pro -- often at a much lower price.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra

Computing

MacBook Pro 16 vs. MacBook Pro 14: The important differences

MacBook Pro laptops.

MacBooks are typically seen as some of the best laptops money can buy, thanks to their combination of performance and longevity. It's not uncommon for MacBooks to be running flawlessly years after purchase -- so while their upfront costs are a bit steep, they're great long-term investments.

That holds true for the MacBook Pro lineup, which comes in two sizes -- 14 inches and 16 inches. Both are top-of-the-line computers designed to handle pretty much anything you can throw at them, offering access to the M3 chip, vibrant Liquid Retina XDR displays, and plenty of other high-end hardware.

Computing

5 laptops you should buy instead of the M2 MacBook Air

The keyboard of the MacBook Air.

The M3 MacBook Air is the latest and greatest version of Apple's entry-level laptop, but it's not the cheapest version the company currently sells. The M2 MacBook Air is still being sold, and at a discounted starting price of $999. Even more enticing, you can usually find it for as low as $850 at online retailers.

That sounds like a good price, but there are lots of really great laptops that sell for even cheaper. Before pulling the trigger on a shiny new M2 MacBook Air, I recommend you consider one of the following five options instead, which are all cheaper.
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED