I've never seen the point of those desktop replacement laptops. They weigh at least several of your least favourite units of mass, are less capable than a similarly-priced desktop PC, and cost far, far more. If a portable computer is needed, it makes little sense to pay twice as much for a computer half as powerful, and only marignally more transportable. Just wait until the personal injury lawsuits come rolling in - I imagine that corporate policy will change rather rapidly when management realises that they may have to foot the bill for an entire department's chiropractic treatments. Laptop manufacturers seem to be in enough legal hot water as it is.

I'm in the market for a portable computer, myself, actually. The principle requirements are speed of data entry and weight, since it will mostly be used for electronic note-taking during lectures and the like (and perhaps giving the odd presentation). Unfortunately, it seems that (at least as far as laptops go), the more portable the laptop, the less affordable it is. With the exception of some very basic entry-level Gateway notebooks (which aren't available in Australia since Gateway Australia went out of business), anything remotely lightweight (sub 3kg) is exhorbitantly priced. For this reason I've been largely put off plunging into the portable computer market - after all, my ageing desktop PC is in dire need of an upgrade and the benefits of a potable computer would be far fewer than those of a speedy desktop.

Why, then, do people persist in their propogation of the portable computing craze? Laptops are impractical, expensive, suffer from attrocious battery lives, are slow-performing, frustratingly constructed, delicate, and theft-prone. Whilst I've been eyeing with interest recent developments in the so-called 'ultralight' market sector (particularly this ludicrously overpriced model from Toshiba, this entry-level Gateway, and - of course - the Apple Powerbooks), no model seems to offer enough portability, speed, and value. Are these unreasonable expectations, or is the market simply too immature?