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15" ultrathin Mac laptop rumored for early next year
When first we heard whispers of a lean & lithe Air-like 15" Mac laptop, it seemed possible that we'd see them in stores before the end of this year. That may not happen, but according to Digitimes' reports from the supplier chain, the first bits and pieces for such a machine may already be shipping to Apple in small quantities. The story suggests that the ultralight 15" portable (we still think it will be called a MacBook Pro, not an Air, but obviously it could go either way) would be ready for "mass shipment" in March of 2012. Plenty of current MacBook Pro owners who are longing for the portability of the Air but who still need the screen real estate of a larger form factor machine would probably trade some storage space and an optical drive for a speedy SSD and a lighter overall load. Since Apple's current MacBook Air models (now making up more than a quarter of all Mac laptop shipments) are already taking the wind out of the ultrabook order count, it wouldn't be surprising to see this hypothetical new machine launch with a lot of fanfare. The current MacBook Pro line was last refreshed on October 24, which would put a March reboot at the five-month mark; not so tight, especially considering that the October updates were not much more than a speed & spec bump. It's expected that the full-size MacBook Pro models will move to Intel's delayed Ivy Bridge architecture sometime next year. [via Mac Rumors]
MSI infuses more gaming juice into its G Series notebooks with processor refresh
They may have barely finished component convalescence after being kitted out with NVIDIA's GTX 570M, but MSI's GT780DXR and GT683DXR are getting yet another technical leg-up. This time, the processors are being nudged up to an Intel Core i7-2670QM, replacing the Core i7-2630QM we found on these gaming rigs last time we met. The ultra slim X460 series will also get the same CPU refresh. We'll admit, it's a pretty gentle update, but it should help keep MSI's latest offerings close to the bleeding edge of high-end laptops.
MSI's GT683DXR and GT780DXR shred pixels with NVIDIA's GTX 570M (hands-on)
We might still be smitten with a certain svelte ebony beaut, but we're aware some of you require absolute maximum performance from your "portable" gaming rig. Here to heed your call for blistering frame rates is MSI, which has gone and refreshed two laptops from its gaming lineup: the 15.6-inch GT683DXR and its big brother, the 17.3-inch GT730DXR. While both retain the Core i7-2630QM from their forebears, the duo now feature NVIDIA's beefy GTX 570M with 1.5GB GDDR5. And just like their predecessors, either can be stuffed with up to 16GB of RAM, dual 500GB or 750GB drives and a Blu-ray burner. Also on board is a premium sound system from Dynaudio, four USB ports (two of the 3.0 variety), Gigabit Ethernet, VGA and HDMI sockets and, of course, 802.11b/g/n WiFi. They're on sale now, starting at $1,699 for the 15-incher and $1,799 for the 17-inch variant. MSI was kind enough to send us the smaller and lighter of the two, so hop on past the break for our brief impressions. %Gallery-132842% %Gallery-132847%
Sony VAIO SE Series review
Sony VAIO F Series review (late 2011) Sony Vaio Z gets the in-house teardown treatment (video) Acer announces redesigned Aspire TimelineX Series laptops, prices start at $599It's sad to say, but most of you who are going back to school have probably already returned by now -- though if you're in class right this moment you should probably be paying attention. If you managed to get back to campus without bringing a new laptop along, you might just want to keep reading -- Sony's just released a 15.5-inch addition to its VAIO S Series that not only adds a crucial bit of extra display acreage, but also bumps things up to a full 1080p.Yes, this is a laptop that can not only be configured with a Blu-ray drive but has enough pixels to do the resulting footage justice, meaning it could make a passable player for movie night. But, does it have the chops to do your workload justice? Is it worth the $1,000 minimum asking price, at least a $100 premium over Sony's 13-inch models? Join us as we find out.%Gallery-132136%
Dell XPS 15z available in Australia and Asia, fits Sandy Bridge in under an inch of thickness
The XPS 15z, true to Michael Dell's word, is now with us. Provided "now" is May the 24th in whatever part of the world you happen to live in. Laptop shoppers in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan -- a group of nations already enjoying the glories of Tuesday -- can now buy the 0.97 inches-thick 15z for prices starting at just under A$1,400. That buys you a Core i5-2410M from Intel (2.3GHz default speed, 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost), a generous 6GB of DDR3 RAM, backlit keyboard, GeForce GT 525M graphics with 2GB of dedicated memory, a 750GB hard drive, and a 64WHr battery. The screen spans 15.6 inches diagonally and offers 1920 x 1080 resolution. Stepping up to A$1,700 gets you a Core i7-2620M (2.7GHz default, 3.4GHz TB) and 8GB of RAM. Juicy specs, we must admit. Now when's midnight coming? [Thanks, John]
Dell XPS 15z coming tomorrow for $999? (updated)
The thinnest 15-inch laptop "on the planet" is coming tomorrow, costing a measly $999, according to the Wall Street Journal. In a profile of Dell's recent history and forthcoming plans in the consumer electronics market, the financial paper twice makes reference to an ultrathin, $999 laptop that is set to launch on Tuesday of this week. Pairing that intel with the abundance of leaks surrounding the slinky 15.6-inch XPS 15z -- including a Michael Dell tweet promising it's "coming soon" -- leads us to the conclusion that we've finally gotten ahold of the price and date for Dell's next big thing. Interestingly enough, the WSJ article goes on to say that Dell had canned a similar set of slim laptops earlier in the year, which might give us greater hope for the quality of the 15z -- it survived where others didn't. Other disclosures in the piece include a quote from Michael Dell, saying that he "didn't completely see" the tablet boom coming, which might explain why sales of his company's Streak tablets have been low enough to be described as "immaterial." There's also a discussion of the abortive Zing music service and related MP3 players that never were, but you'll have to hit the source link to learn more about them. Update: As further evidence of the 15z's imminent release, the tease has turned into a show with a video that fully reveals its slimline chassis and declares that the new Dell packs the Streak's Stage UI as well. [Thanks, Ishai and Ming Han] Update 2: And now we have the answer to our headline question: yes.
Dell kills Alienware M15x, government denies it ever existed
This is sort of the gaming laptop version of a politician stepping down to spend more time with his family. We've confirmed with Alienware today that the M15x system is no longer available -- the company has opted to focus its efforts on the rest of its line of glowing extraterrestrial gaming laptops. After all, while the 15-inch form factor will no doubt be missed by some, devoted gamers should be able to find solace in the arms of, say, an M11x, M14x, M17x, or M18x. It may be gone from sight, but surely grainy teardown footage from a New Mexico bunker can't be far away. [Thanks, Zach]
LG P430 and P530 Blade laptops bedazzle with slim bezels, aluminum bodies, and Core i7
We heard of a bezel-hating LG Shuriken display sneaking its way onto Acer laptops recently, but the Korean company has wisely opted to debut that cutting-edge technology in its own portable computers first. The 14-inch P430 and 15.6-inch P530 mark the start of LG's new Blade series of laptops, which are the result of some obsessive slimming work at the LG labs -- display thickness is 4.5mm and 4.7mm, respectively, while the bezel on the 14-inch model is so narrow as to fit its screen within the dimensions of a traditional 13.3-inch laptop. Weight, at 1.94kg on the P430 and 2.2kg on P530, is also said to be on par with machines offering significantly smaller screens, but that's not at the sacrifice of construction materials as brushed aluminum is used to strengthen LG's new slimsters. A Core i7 CPU and GeForce GT520M GPU will provide the internal firepower, though the rest of the hardware specs are as yet unannounced. The P430 will launch in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America at the end of May, to be followed by the P530 in June. Full PR after the break. Update: LG has now listed the full specs sheets on its Newsroom website.
Dell freshens up Inspiron M5030 with Spanish-language keyboard, claims it's first of its kind in US
The Athlon-powered M5030 from Dell hardly looked like a machine that would be bearing an "industry first" label when it launched in September of last year, but now it's doing exactly that thanks to an intriguing new mod from its maker. The 15.6-incher is being released with its keyboard and Windows 7 installation customized in Spanish, neither of which would be unusual were it not for the fact that it's going to be on sale in the US. It's not exactly a vast overhaul, as only a couple of physical keys are swapped out and switching Win 7 into and out of Spanish mode can be done in the time it takes to click a mouse, but still, it's significant in that it services the speakers of the States' second most commonly used language. Pricing for the M5030 en español is set at $499 and includes a 320GB HDD and 4GB of RAM. For an entirely free video of an excitable Dell employee telling you about it, jump past the break.
Motorola Xoom and Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro get torn down
The Xoom's big attraction may be the ethereal Honeycomb that oozes within it, but it's still a gadget made of metal, silicon and plastic, so we're as keen as anyone to see what its insides look like. iFixit has dutifully performed the task of tearing one down to its constituent components and found an Atmel touchscreen controller capable of picking up 15 inputs at a time, a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip capable of 14.4Mbps HSPA+ speeds, some Toshiba NAND flash memory, and of course, NVIDIA's beloved Tegra 2 dual-core SOC. The conclusion reached was that the Xoom is relatively easy to repair, though you should be aware there are no less than 57 screws holding the thing together, so free up a nice long afternoon if you intend to disassemble one yourself. Aside from Moto's flagship tablet, iFixit has also gotten to grips with Apple's latest MacBook Pro, the one that can do Thunderbolt-fast transfers with as yet nonexistent peripherals, though discoveries there were predictably few and far between. The wireless card now has four antennas instead of three and there are some changes made to the cooling systems, but the real reason you'll want to see this is the quad-core Sandy Bridge CPU lurking within -- it's as big and imposing as the performance it promises to deliver.
LG's Xnote A510 3D laptop mocks your virility
Looking for a strategy to promote a 15-inch slab of drab plastic laptop? If you're LG then you slap in some 3D gimmickry and roll on the scantily clad product waif. LG's Xnote A510 comes packing a Full HD LED backlit 15.6-inch panel powered by your choice of a Core i7 840QM or 740QM quad core processors and 1GB of NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M graphics. It ships with polarized 3D glasses including clip-on 3D lenses for your existing specs. Don't worry if you can't find 3D content to view because LG's preloaded the A510 with TriDef 2D to 3D conversion software. You'll also find an HDMI 1.4 jack, Blu-ray optical disc drive, and fingerprint reader when this guy ships to Asia, South America, and the Middle East and Africa sometime in October.
Lessons in Bell Curves: 15-inch laptops still king, despite wealth of portable alternatives
Jimmy Eat World didn't concoct the masterpiece that is The Middle for nothing, you know. In yet another example of the middle muddying up the waters for everyone else, DisplaySearch has found that the vast majority of systems sold in America fall into the 15.6-inch category, despite the fact that many offer no gain in resolution over 12- and 13-inch ultraportables with 1,366 x 768 panels. The reason? For one, supply and demand. The sheer quantity of 15-inch machines on the market pushes prices south, and on days like Black Friday, rarely is any size as discounted as the tried-and-true 15-incher. The numbers here would show an even greater difference if the tablets were yanked, but what's made clear is just how little interest is being shown by the masses to the outliers. In fact, Laptop found that MSI is officially putting the kibosh on its plans to ship the 13-inch X360 stateside, and a number of other manufacturers are mulling similar decisions (though "off the record"). So, are you helping to jumble up the middle, or are you a loud-and-proud 5-percenter?
15-inch Core i5 MacBook Pro torn asunder: no alarms and no surprises
By now, the fine folks at iFixit have probably seen the insides of more MacBooks than they care to count, but the guilty pleasure of ripping those aluminum cases to shreds keeps them (and us) coming back for more. This week, while we gave our new 15-inch MacBook Pro a thorough review, they were busy tearing theirs apart and admiring the juicy insides. Aside from the obvious processor upgrade, not much has changed since 2009 except the odd antenna and tri-wing screw, but it appears that the AirPort / Bluetooth assembly now resembles that of the 13-inch unibody MacBook. You will also find nice hi-res shots of the brand-new Intel BD82HM55 Platform Controller Hub -- also known as Intel's HM55 Express chipset -- at the source link.
TVLogic introduces a pair of 15-inch OLED monitors, one does 3D
Hot on the heels of Sony dazzling us with its 7.4-inch, $3,850 PVM-740 monitor comes TVLogic, introducing not one but two professional OLED sets that are each twice as large -- and probably at least twice as expensive. Both are 1,366 x 768 with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, apparently based on LG's 15-inch panel, but only the TDM-150W is 3D-capable. This makes it seemingly the first 3D OLED display on the market, and so it's poised to intrigue those looking to shoot the next Avatar. Again, no mention of pricing, but they won't be cheap -- the company's 17-inch LCD monitors already clock in at $3,500, and adding that O on the front should result in a big premium.
15-inch MacBook Pros MIA on BestBuy.com, long-awaited refresh really, truly coming April 13th?
iPhone, iPhone, iPhone... wait, what's that? You're still pining for those refreshed, possibly Core i5- / i7-equipped MacBook Pros that have been long rumored? If a source close to Australian MacWorld has any merit, we'll finally be seeing updates to the laptop line -- Pro and Air, allegedly -- this Tuesday, April 13th. No word on what the new models would feature if true, but without an event all its own, the best we can expect is probably a spec boost. Best Buy seems to be adding some fuel to the fire, first by showing a proverbial mark of death in its database last month, and now by making the 15-inch model unavailable on BestBuy.com. Undoubtedly the retailer's waiting for a new shipment of potent portables, but the question remains, what will they run under the hood? [Thanks, Ryan] Update: UK retailer John Lewis is also showing its MacBook Pro and MacBook Air options as out of stock, though it suffers no such shortages with MacBooks. Draw your own conclusions [Thanks, Ben].
Acer launching thin, Calpella-based notebooks this summer?
The progression of ever-faster notebooks seems to have dwindled, but the quest for thinner and lighter goes on. Acer is said to be finding the balance between those two goals with its next suite of thin performers, starting with a range of mid- and high-end portables based on Intel's Calpella series of processors, the Nehalem spin-off that we haven't heard much about lately. Sizes are said to be 13-, 14-, and 15-inches, all will be manufactured by Wistron, and all said to be one inch thin at their thinnest point -- hopefully not much thicker elsewhere if they want to turn heads. These higher-performing machines will eventually phase out Acer's CULV offerings, which apparently have had unimpressive sales thanks to a perceived lack of performance by consumers. We can't imagine where they got that idea...
LG's 15-inch OLED TV now blowing minds in South Korea
Call Daegu home? Just over in South Korea to visit and / or infiltrate the DMZ? Regardless of why you're there, you're probably interested in picking up LG's latest, which has been tempting our retinas since IFA. Just as we'd heard back in late August, the aforesaid firm's 15-inch OLED TV is reportedly now on sale in South Korea, and it's packing a price tag of around ₩3 million ($2,598). By our count, this is just the second major, mass-produced OLED TV to hit store shelves anywhere in the world, but we're hoping to see a lot more action in this space come CES. You TV makers are listening to our requests demands, right? [Via OLED-Display]
LG's transparent 15-inch AMOLED display is amazing, possibly useless
Look at that, just look at it will you. It's another in a latest trend that's bringing transparent displays to consumer electronics. However, this pup is in color and livin' large at 15-inches unlike those tiny transparent displays we've seen in handsets. Unfortunately, all we can do is look for the moment because the concept on show at FPD 2009 in Japan is accompanied by very little in the way of detail.
Eyes-on LG's 15-inch OLED TV makes us want to punch an LCD
What can we say -- it's a near final build of LG's 15-inch OLED TV that's set to go production in Korea before the baby New Year can suckle at the big one-oh. We could say it's beautiful, that even motion looked good pushing genuine blacks on this razor thin panel. But we wouldn't want to rub your noses in the fact that we're at IFA and you're not. Perhaps this will make you feel better: by the time it makes it Stateside in February or March it'll be carrying a price tag right around $2,500. Really, but it's Wireless TV-capable and that's gotta be worth something.Oh, and LG tells us that its 32- and 42-inch OLED panels are on schedule and due to be released sometime in 2010. Yes, 2010 contradicting what we've heard earlier. No word on price but it's going to be tres, tres expensive.
LG's 15-inch OLED TV on sale in Korea this November, overseas in 2010
LG bared the fruits of its OLED labor last week with a new set of photos of its gorgeous 15-inch screen, and now comes word from Reuters that it's gearing up to become consumer reality. The company will be showing off the model at next week's IFA trade show, and then expects to start selling it in Korea this November, followed by overseas sometime next year. Excited? You bet. Affordable? Price unknown, with Sony's two-year old 11-inch XEL-1 still retailing for $2,500 in the US -- and worse elsewhere -- you can expect to be sacrificing a pretty penny for small-screen bliss. LG also plans to show off a 40-inch OLED in the "not too distant future," but don't expect to be seeing that hit retail shelves for a good long time to come. [Via OLED-Info]
