I don’t know what exactly compelled me to purchase an ultralight ThinkPad X23 in the spring semester of my senior year (as opposed to a heavier model), but I knew it was the right decision the first time I was able to casually stretch out in the lobby of our dorm and soak up the wireless. It’s not that my dorm mates couldn’t do the same, it’s just that their laptops were so dang heavy, some in excess of six pounds, that they rarely bothered removing them from their desks.

At that time portability was an issue because I was constantly trucking myself between classes and work, and I always wanted to have my laptop with me. By the time I was done with school, I decided portability wasn’t so much an issue, and thus upgraded to a T42, gaining screen real estate and processing muscle in exchange for two more pounds of plastic and metal. Since then I’ve written extensively about the circuitous path my laptops have taken that has led to me typing this on my six year old X23 laptop.

There’s a different kind of portability than lightweight to carry. There’s the ability to cozy up with it, or balance it on my lap, or move it from the couch to the bed to the kitchen table with ease. This personal space portability is important to me because the type of things I do with my laptop are essentially relaxation activities. Reading and responding to emails, reading blogs and writing posts, working on photos. I read a lot. My laptop is my sketch pad, my drafting table, my workshop, and for all those reasons, I want it to be comfortable. And light.

Over the last 6 years, IBM, and now Lenovo, have made gradual improvements to the X-series: newer processors, USB 2.0!, slightly lighter, etc. None of newer models seemed substantial enough to merit replacing my trusty X23. For 6 years, I was waiting for one new feature in particular: a higher resolution screen than 1024×768. Last year I even sent Lenovo an email:

I would *love* to buy a new computer from you, particularly a shiny new X-series, but I’m waiting for one feature that you haven’t offered yet. A higher resolution widescreen LCD. WXGA 1280×800.

I know I can get that and more on a T-series (I know because I have one), but there’s something about the X-series dimensions and weight that I just keep coming back to.

I never heard back (*ahem* David Churbuck), but it sounds like they heard me. This afternoon I randomly wandered across the Lenovo website to see if their never-ending sale had actually ended. To my amazement I found an all-new X-series model: the X200! And wouldn’t you know it, it has a 12.1″ widescreen display with a resolution of 1280×800. It’s like the laptop of my DREAMS!

There’s only one problem. I normally have large and important packages shipped to me at work because they can’t be left at my apartment. The problem is that at the end of next week, FM is moving offices from Sausalito to San Francisco. So rather than risk things getting lost somewhere in transit, I’m going to hold my breath until Monday (the current end date of their never-ending sale), and place my order then.