Lenovo Delays Launch of Ion Netbook

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Waiting for Ion? Wait for Windows 7.

Lenovo was the first to announce an Nvidia Ion-based netbook with the Ideapad S12, but it turns out that the GeForce-gifted portable might not be the first one to market.

Gizmodo learned from Lenovo that the Ion-equipped S12 is being pushed back to October so that it may launch alongside Windows 7. Given the graphics accelerated prowess of the hardware, Windows 7 would take to it better than Windows XP, but that does mean waiting an extra two months.

Those desperate for an Ideapad S12 right now can opt for the currently available, Intel chipset-based model for $450, a couple of months wait plus another $50 will buy you better hardware and OS. Do you think it'll be a worthwhile wait?

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Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • 08nwsula
    I really like windows 7, but 500 for a netbook is just too much
    Reply
  • alvine
    netbooks should not be more then 400. 500 is laptop territory
    Reply
  • zambutu
    How can you guys put price caps on a "netbook", technology comes with a price. Should they leave the ion chipset out of netbooks completely then, or should they sell them at a loss? I'd rather pay a bit more for something better, than pay less and settle for something i'm not happy with. They'll cost what they need to charge. That said, 12" is getting too big for a "netbook" IMO; this is more like a cheap laptop
    Reply
  • Major7up
    It'll be worth the wait if they lower the price to match the current model.
    Reply
  • 08nwsula
    it's called a "netbook" because it's supposed to do really simple tasks such as surfing the internet. It's always nice to have a machine that is more powerful, but dumping all of this tech and money into such a device defeats the purpose. If you wanted to spend $500, just go get a laptop with twice the performance.
    Reply
  • zambutu
    If basic web surfing is all you want then buy a first gen eeepc. I have a $1500 laptop with 3 times the performance of a curernt netbook, but its bigger than i want, heavier than i want, and the battery doesn't last. if i can get a smaller, lighter, more portable, longer battery life machine that will do what i need, for 1/3 the price...its a win. I want to be able to at least watch some movies in 720p on the go, run some simpler 3d games...
    Reply
  • runswindows95
    Netbooks also lack the resolution, screen size, and processing power of a notebook. They also lack the one thing that separates them from even the cheapest notebook: optical drive. As 08nwsula pointed, they were really designed as ultra-portable internet machines.

    Far as Lenovo goes, it does make sense to wait till the newest OS comes out before launching a new product based on new hardware instead of using a seven year old OS. Maybe by its launch date, the price will drop.
    Reply
  • krazyderek
    alvinenetbooks should not be more then 400. 500 is laptop territoryNot a very good one...
    I for one would buy a high end netbook over a low end notebook, but i value light weight, portability, and battery life out of a computer that isn't a desktop, maybe i'm the odd one. I hate optical drives and media, give me a flash drive to boot off or copy files over a DVD+/-RW any day. Give me better battery life and a decent weight i can actually carry in my hand for more then five minutes not requiring me to have a backpack with me at all times.
    The only argument people are going to throw down against this is a gaming laptop, which in it's self is almost an oxymoron, but we'll probably all agree you're not playing anything on a 500$ notebook you can't play on a ion netbook. Not to mention the year or two lag in notebook graphics, and the renaming of mobile chipset's to inflate their worth.
    Reply
  • bk420
    $5oo? I've seen all types of deals for laptops in that range. I guess Win 7 might be the deal breaker, but will it run on the atom cpu properly?
    Reply
  • Yes it does
    Reply