NEC -- disclosed plans on Monday for its first laptop computer based on Intel's Yonah dual-core mobile processor.
Yonah is the code-name for the dual-core version of Intel's Pentium M processor for notebooks and small desktops. The chip is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2006 and is expected to be one of Intel's main new products for next year.
Laptop Specs
The Lavie RX LR900 laptop was announced with NEC's new year PC lineup, which was announced the same day. The company disclosed full technical details for the computer with the exception of the processor and chipset. For the CPU it listed only Yonah and the chipset, Mobile Intel 945 Express family.
NEC said the LR900 will be based on Windows XP Home Edition, come with 512MB of main memory and a 100GB hard disk drive. It will have a 14.1-inch LCD, DVD Super Multi drive (DVD-R/+R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/+RW), 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The machine will weigh about 4.4 pounds and the battery will provide enough power to last about four hours.
NEC intends to put the machine on sale sometime in 2006 priced around $1945 in its basic configuration, said Susumu Sakamoto, a spokesperson for NEC in Tokyo.
Laptop Competition Heats
That the company is working on a Yonah-based laptop is no surprise. NEC is one of Intel's biggest customers in Japan and the nation's leading PC maker, largely with notebook computers. It enjoyed a 20 percent market share in the first half of 2005, according to an estimate released Tuesday by IDC Japan.
Fujitsu was ranked the number two PC vendor with an 18 percent share ahead of Dell, which had 12 percent; Toshiba scored 9 percent; and Hewlett-Packard, 6 percent, according to the IDC figures. Credit:
PC World
