Compact design: Lower-cost components have slashed notebook prices

The first notebook computers to dip below $1,000 were slow, not very stylish and not widely embraced by consumers. That was more than five years ago ? a lifetime in the digital era.

Since then, competition and lower-cost components have driven down notebook prices, giving consumers a broad array of machines in the sub-$1,000 range, many of them able to handle the computing needs of mainstream users.

In fact, the average price of notebooks at major retail stores in November fell to $980 ? a 19 per cent drop from November 2004, when the average price was $1,215 ? the first time the average dipped under $1,000, according to a monthly survey by Current Analysis, a research company based in Sterling, Varginia.

Units below $1,000 are available from most of the major notebook makers and they offer a range of features, including wide-screen displays, fast processors, built-in wireless connectivity, DVD burners, productivity software and all of the ports and slots found on more expensive models. Features they tend not to have are extra-large screens, ultra-small designs, much larger hard drives and higher-end processors and graphics abilities.

Gateway offers several models under $1,000. The NX500S, with a starting price of $699.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, comes with a 15.4-inch display in a wide-screen format called WXGA, which has become popular on consumer-oriented models. It provides a wider viewing area and greater resolution for squeezing more content onto the screen (for example, you can see more columns on a spreadsheet). The starting configuration of the NX500S comes with 256 megabytes of memory, which for most users is probably not enough for ordinary computing demands.

A model in the thin-and-light category, from Hewlett-Packard, is the Compaq Presario V2000Z series. The unit, one of many Hewlett models available for less than $1,000, is compact, with a 14-inch display in the WXGA format, and weighs about 5.4 pounds with battery.

The V2000Z series comes with processors from Advanced Micro Devices; the base unit has a 1.8-gigahertz Sempron processor. Processors from AMD, like those from Intel, are available in different price and performance levels; the Sempron is at the lower end of the AMD line. And as with the Celeron, the Sempron is designed to handle routine computing activities.

The Inspiron 6000 is one of several models from Dell below $1,000. The unit is aimed at mainstream users and has an entertainment angle, a 15.4-inch display and a wide screen, and it includes Windows XP Media Center Edition or Windows XP Home Edition in the base price. It also comes with four USB ports, a FireWire port and S-Video out. On the front edge is a control panel with buttons for viewing DVDs and digital photos and listening to music.

From Lenovo, several ThinkPad models are available for less than $1,000. The Z60m, at a starting price of $799, comes with a 1.5-gigahertz Celeron M processor, Windows XP Home Edition and 256 megabytes of memory.

As with other ThinkPad models, the Z60m is aimed at business users, but it also includes features found in consumer-oriented models. For example, the Z series was the first ThinkPad line to offer wide screens; the Z60m comes with a 15.4-inch display with a resolution of 1,280 pixels by 800 pixels. It has a three-in-one memory-card reader, a FireWire port and stereo speakers along the sides of the keyboard, which face up to enhance the sound.

From Apple, the iBook model with a 12.1-inch screen is Apple’s lowest-price notebook ($999). It contains a 1.33-gigahertz G4 processor, 512 megabytes of memory and a 40-gigabyte hard disk. The iBook comes with Apple’s latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.4, or Tiger, plus a software suite called iLife, which includes iPhoto, iMovie HD, GarageBand, iDVD and iTunes.

The iBook has a slot-loading optical drive for CDs and DVDs (as opposed to a tray that pops out), built-in Bluetooth for short-range wireless connectivity and a data protection feature that parks the hard drive’s heads if it detects a fall or sudden motion. The unit is compact, at 4.9 pounds and 1.35 inches thick, and gets pretty good battery performance. (NYTNS)