Lenovo's IdeaPad S12 finally on sale with Windows 7, NVIDIA Ion
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 28th 2009 2:34AM
posted Oct 28th 2009 2:34AM
[Via Mark's Technology Blog]
posted Oct 28th 2009 2:34AM
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DDR2?
Gross.
n270 for a machine starting out at $599? gross
yep every one is sick off those super slow atoms....
come on intel give us some speed....
@ Miles
Your picture says it all
For $599 I expect DDR3.
dead processor line? no thanks.
oh wow do I actually see a 16:10 screen? other manufacturers need to take note.
Yes. Save the 16:10! It's a good format!
Not trying to be an Apple fan boy, but why does Windows still come in 32 & 64 bit...why can't they just sell one 64 bit version, wouldn't it be easier?
Unlike Apple who forces you into using the architecture, Microsoft needs to give you a choice considering their market share.
There are still machines and processors that do not support 64 bit (pretty much all netbooks) and they still have to provide an OS for them. Windows 8 is supposed to be 64 bit only.
Microsoft does it because there are still some people who have old drivers that are incompatible with Windows 64 bit. For example, my not-too-old Logitech webcam no longer works in my 64 bit Windows 7/Vista because they never created a 64-bit driver for it. I know, you would think Microsoft would be completely pushing 64-bit right now, but in order to cater to the business world, Microsoft tends to move really slowly... since Apple does have the whole supply chain to worry about, they're able to move forward a lot faster leaving their old products in the dust. In essence, that is Apple's one advantage.
@Psy
You say that like x64 is a bad thing. :P
It seems like Microsoft still doesn't want 64-bit Windows to support a fraction of the hardware that 32-bit works with. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out why 64-bit IE can't support encapsulated 32-bit plugins. If 64-bit IE still doesn't support Flash...or ANY PLUGINS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST, who is going to use it? Why does it exist?
Microsoft would do well to Ponder this: Have you ever seen a system that shipped with a shortcut to Safari 32-bit and Safari 64-bit?
@ J. Evans Turner
Do you think that is Microsoft's fault? Adobe has to make a version of flash that runs in 64 bit. Flash isn't even graphics chip accelerated. Also, since Vista, Microsoft is requiring companies to release 64 bit drivers if they want their hardware to be certified. So yeah, I think they do want 64 bit to happen.
I cannot believe the replies here.
Kyle asked "why does MS still make 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows"?
In response, nobody thought to point out that the very machine in this article uses a 32-bit processor??
Choice, my friend, choice.
Because they are not the same and there is still more support for 32 bits than 64 bits. I can go into details but I don't think you apple fanboys would understand.
Yeah, I'm not really considering it anymore. The processor and RAM seem feeble and netbooks have lost their charm for me.
What's the battery life like?
The specs are nice, but it's way too much for something I would use for internet browsing and very light gaming. My ideal netbook is something like this + 8 hour battery at $400 or less. Maybe in a few years.
$400 is too much, hell, I think $300 is too much for a 10' sub laptop. I recently ordered a netbook at work for testing, I am bored with the thing already. When you can buy decent refurbed 14" and 15" laptops for around $400, unless you have a very specific need for a netbook, I just don't get it. I have been hearing that soon, Compaq we will have $400 standard and descent laptops. If that is the case, I just can't see getting a notebook or much lesser specs for around the same price.
Granted it is 5 times the cost, I will stick with the Lenovo T400s, it only weighs a little more and I get a 14" screen and a solid processor out of it.
@dafrety: ive got the same problem: my gf demands a netbook for christmas and since she finds the eee's keyboards sub-par she'll probably go with a samsung n140. its about 300€ which probably transates to 300$ (or at least sub-400$) and has a real 8h+ runtime surfing the net over wlan.
@ the other guy: yeah, i know, netbooks arent really cheap if you compare them to entry-level laptops, but likeyou said, some people just _need_ the mobility and runtime.
About $200 too much & 6 months late...
Yeah no thanks. Why would they put out a netbook 4 months before the n470 comes out?
I'm totally confused. With HP's 311 at about 150 less than this (if you consider Windows 7 and ignoring things like Bluetooth in favor of its DDR3 ram) why would anyone want to buy this? I was seriously debating between that and something like the SU2300 dual-core CPU (apples and oranges perhaps), but this is like a crazy lemon in the fruit bowl of the notebook scene.
Is the case made out of aluminum and the keys backlit or something like that to justify it? I guess the 1280x800 screen might be easier for older games, but you force it to rescale 720p video.
I can't see anyone who really shops around buying this model unless it drops about 100. At this price you have a small jump to get an Asus U80 or something with many times the power.
Too little too late, Lenovo?
I bought one the other day when Lenovo had a sale on it, and am REALLY trying to justify my purchase!
About the 311 comparison, a similarly equipped HP (win7, 2GB RAM, 250HDD) will run you $529 + tax and shipping. When Lenovo had the sale on it, I got mine for $560 including tax and shipping.
So.. it did actually cost less than the HP netbook and I think the consensus is that Lenovo > HP. Plus, bigger screen and keyboard.
My uses are pretty simple. I'm not a gamer, so I really only use this for word processing, internet, and the occasional HD TV show download (Dexter! ...ahem).
Good buy for me?
I agree about the price being too high but I don't see how 1280x720 video gets any rescaling on 1280x800 monitor, other than leaving black strips above and below the video.
Most people on the forums I've read just pop in a $30-40 DDR3 module into the $400 Mini 311 configuration (in the empty DDR3 slot) and upgrade it themselves to Win7. Granted, you could get the Win7 config but it doesn't change a whole lot. Drivers are currently a little spotty, though, but that's to be expected.
Then you get 3GB of DDR3 and the 768 high screen which is a better ratio for movies. The DDR3 probably works a lot better with the ION because the extra bandwidth provides headroom for the shared video chip access. I believe HP ships it with free CULV-based upscaling software, as well.
The rest go on about things like the Acer 1410 and its dual core CPU for roughly the same.
If hard drive space is a huge concern you might as well toss the 160 or 250 hard drive and put in a 500 if you can find a thin enough one. Or make do with an external USB drive for your home movie collection. Besides, it's a waste if you're just going to consider an SSD next year.
The remaining thing people seem to be trying to figure out is if/when the Atom chips can be overclocked in the new models. That will probably make 1080p encoded video run smoothly, but that's just speculation.
If Lenovo was putting a dual core atom in this that would be a game changer. Especially if they did a good bit of work on managing the voltage and trying to underclock the Atom at times of low usage.
For that price, I'd rather get the Lenovo U150 with the SU4100, which a dual core cpu. So, the 4500hd isn't as good as ION, but the CPU is way better than Atom, and I can actually watch flash HD video, instead of having waiting adobe to bring out gpu accelerated flash. I have the 4500HD in my current machine and it can play every video I have thrown at it, even a HD MKV video with out dropping frames.
Sorry, but $599 is too much for a CPU this weak. I've seen better spec'd ultra portables for around the same price.
Or you could get a 11.6" with a single-core CULV for $400. An extra $200 for a faster GPU but slower CPU is ridiculous.
Or even a Dual Core CULV SU2300 based system for $399 like the US Acer 1410.
LOL,there are many lower priced Higher specs out there
Where the hell is the VIA Nano option?
Just as I predicted. Engadget users kept on hammering for an ION netbook, and now that they are here we run away from it.
I think people are expecting too much out of a netbook. An Atom processor with 2GB is more than enough for email/word processing/spreadsheets/browsing/powerpoint/media. The only thing it does not do without ION is HD. Now we have an atom + ion and suddenly it is weak?
That's because we were excited about the ION back, oh, around January/February at CES when NVidia announced it. The DV2 came and went, a bit too hot and mismatched with the processor and expensive, but an immediate option for the willing. ION was talked about over and over again with motherboards starting to trickle out, but Microsoft probably put the kibosh on any actual netbooks through license throttling.
So now it's come out, but so has far faster dual core cpus by Intel. That leaves a big schism between getting that ancient Atom cpu with a graphics chip good enough for certain things, or putting your marbles on a processor that's probably four times as fast with an 'okayish but at least usable' Intel 4500 chip. Oddly enough the SU chips can do the 1080p decoding that NVidia constantly harped about, while reports of the Ion show that the decoding is choppy - probably due to the rate the Atom can feed it with data.
It needed to come out months ago to be really exciting. I know I waited with baited breath on every announcement, losing faith with each passing month. Now ION 2 is around the corner, along with promises of dual core Atoms in Jan/Feb, not to mention lots of other things. Just about everything seems to be able to play 1080p video anymore, which was one of the main bullet points. You might as well wait for the early ION netbooks to go on clearance in a month or two when their models are replaced (like the inevitable fire sale of the HP Mini 311 with XP they sell at various stores).
So, spending 600 on a laptop now that is almost immediately going to be obsolete, if not already overshadowed by new entries, is a pretty questionable purchase. There'd have to be some key feature not mentioned yet or something to make it relevant.
That's because between when ION was announced / the netbook ION hype started, and when ION netbooks actually started shipping Intel dropped the CULV bomb on the market.
Look at something like a $599 Acer 1810T (w/ SU7300) and compare it to the $599 Ideapad S12, and tell me what the S12 still has going for it?
Or perhaps even worse, compare the $399 Acer 1410 (w/ SU2300) to the Ideapad S12. It's $200 cheaper, has a vastly superior CPU, and it's Intel GS45 (4500MHD) chipset isn't too bad.
anybody have a word on hackintoshability?
If the GPU is a Nvidia 9400, it should be.
The specs are nice but way to expensive for a pc. There are lots of pc out there that are much cheaper and most of all possess a higher specs than the pc displayed here. Although I like the color because it is black. I rate it 6 out of 10.
Now I'm curious how much the Asus 1201n with the 330 dual core atom and ion will run... $500-$700? I've been looking forward to something small and portable to play World of Warcraft, Call of Duty 4 and some HD videos in m2ts that will play nicely over HDMI when out of town.
The price and power are slightly dissapointing I must say. I have been waiting to get an ion based netbook for several months and CULV options are far more enticing. If the the Asus 1201n actually has a 330 atom that would be fantastic, but I am skeptical on the price. In regards to the HP 311, it only has ION LE which isn't the full version of ION that the S12 has, but it does have the DDR3. Unfortunately, this technology is changing far too rapidly to make a purchase that seems worthwhile. Oh well.
Ok I might be the only one wondering but still :
-Can this Ion + atom decode 1080p smoothly ?
- is there and HDMI port ?
This looks a lot better than my EEE PC 1005HA
THE 265 MB GPU Looks enticing ;)
$600 is pretty baffling considering options like the HP Mini 311 (Ion, $200 less) and Acer 1410 (dual core, +4500MHD, $200 less), as others have noted. This is a terrible value.
They added the Bluetooth I wanted. Its a couple hundred bucks too expensive. They skipped the wifi N. Now its only 80% the computer of my dreams...
This past Saturday I ordered an S12 Ion system from Lenovo. Then I looked around Lenovo's site and saw they were offering the X200S for $699 (new built-to-order, not refurb). An LED screen + W7 x64 was a free upgrade, the SL9400 was like $70, and the 9 cell battery was only $45 extra. I called and changed my order Monday morning. Now, I know the X200S doesn't have as good graphics capabilities as the Ion S12, but hell, everything else (even excluding the X200S' Mg alloy case and carbon fiber lid and *full* Thinkvantage) is just a major step up. Keep in mind the X200S is a thin and light, and even with the 9 cell battery, weighs slightly over 3lbs.
I agree with just about everyone here, compared to everything else available right now, this S12 is just too overpriced.
Too much. Put in the 330 ION and DDR3, then you have a deal for that price.
I guess we keep waiting...
U noobs. DDR3 on this platform is a complete waste. You are no where near approachng the bandwidth throughput to make DDR3 worthwhile. It could actually be worse performnce than DDR2 due to latency.
Pricy, rather get a laptop instead. Keep waiting again