A Tale of Three Laptops

Apple has made ultraportable laptops cool again. But it's not the only contender that comes in at the 3-pound mark. Nor is it the only model to sport a slim profile. But Apple's design does have a distinct contour. As seen in this side-profile view, the streamlined $1799 MacBook Air (upper right) has a graceful curve to its edges that makes a counterpoint to the more traditional flat edges of the $1699 Fujitsu LifeBook P8010 (center) and the $2149 Toshiba Portege R500 (left). The Air weighs in at 2.9 pounds, as does the LifeBook P8010. The Toshiba's starting weight is just 2.4 pounds.