Gateway, which began taking orders on its new 3-pound E-100M notebook on March 30, is working to expand the so-called ultraportable category with the introduction of new features.
Ultraportables generally weigh about 4 pounds or less and have 12-inch or smaller displays.
But given their prices and some trade-offsincluding the lack of internal optical drives, slower processors and relatively short battery lifethey have traditionally made up only a small portion of sales.
However, being lightweight, as well as the introduction of wide screens, WWAN (wireless WAN) capabilities and longer-lasting batteries, are all complementary functions that are useful to users of ultraportables.
It follows that as WWAN gains in popularityand notebook manufacturers have just begun integrating WWAN hardware into their machinesso could the diminutive laptops that employ it.
They still aren't likely to take over the market, but they could easily double in sales, rising from their traditional single-digit shipments, typically totaling 5 to 7 percent of units, to a weighty figure, one Gateway executive said.
Ultraportables are "positioned for growth now. It's very reasonable to suggest that this segment could be twice as large as it is now," said William Diehl, vice president of product marketing at Gateway, in Irvine, Calif.
"People are starting to understand the benefits of mobility," Diehl said. "When I say mobility, I mean form factorthin and light [weight]wirelesswith Bluetooth, wireless LAN and wireless WANand, lastly, battery life. Wireless is useless if the battery doesn't work."
Read the rest of this eWEEK story: "Gateway Sees a Lightweight Laptop Renaissance"