Subnotebook, also called ultraportable, superportable, or mini notebook, was a marketing term for laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop.
As typical laptop sizes have decreased over the course of the 2010s, and other distinguishing features have become mainstream, the distinction between regular-size and 'subnotebook' laptops has largely disappeared. To the extent that it still exists, 'subnotebook' could be defined as machines with screen smaller than 13" but with a permanently-attached keyboard intended for two-handed typing.
Prior to this convergence, subnotebooks were also distinguished from netbooks and ultra-mobile PCs, based on both size and market position.
Classic subnotebooks were smaller than full-sized laptops but larger than handheld computers. They were distinguished by smaller screens and bodies and lighter weights relative to contemporaneous laptops. The savings in size and weight were often achieved partly by omitting ports, and these were typically the first machines to omit optical disc drives or on some of the earliest models, floppy disk drives.
They were also some of the first systems which could be paired with docking stations to compensate. One notable form-factor of subnotebook-oriented docks were "slice docks" — a more transportable version of the classic docking station. [1] [2]
| Subnotebooks relative to other laptop marketing terms | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Screen size | Weight | Distinguishing Characteristics | CPU type(s) | Years of production |
| Classic subnotebook | 5-12" | 0.9-1.8 kg | Varies, mostly x86 | 1992-2018 (worldwide)/ | |
| Palmtop/handheld | 5-9" | 0.3-0.8 kg | Size, and miniaturized keyboard | Varies, typically ultra-low power | 1989-current |
| Netbook | 7-13" | 0.7-1.5 kg | Very low cost | Low power x86; most often Intel Atom | 2007-2015 |
| Smartbook | 5-10" | 0.4–1 kg | Mobile broadband modem | x86 low power or ARM | 2009-2011 |
| Chromebook | 10-15" | varies | ChromeOS | x86 or ARM | 2011-current |
| Ultrabook | 12-17" | 0.7-1.6 kg | Use of premium materials, particularly a metal chassis | Intel x86 | 2011-2018 |
The TRS-80 Model 100 from 1983 was one of the first mass-market portable computers, and was smaller than the clam-shell machines of the same era; it used a slate form factor, with no hinge and the keyboard and screen on the same plane. Its later sibling the Tandy 200 was a clam-shell design and smaller than contemporary laptops. Either could be regarded as an early subnotebook.
The Compaq LTE, launched in 1989, was the first to be widely known as a "notebook computer" because its relatively small dimensions — 48 × 220 × 280 mm (1.9 × 8.5 × 11 inches) — matched those of a pair of stacked US Letter (similar to A4) size paper notebooks. In 1990 the Compaq release was followed by IBM PS/2 note and PS/55note lines (later, in October 1992 they were replaced by the first IBM ThinkPad), and by the relatively compact Sharp PC-6220 model. [7]
Starting around this time, portables with noticeably smaller form factors sometimes referred as subnotebooks. The term may have been first applied to the NEC UltraLite, unveiled in 1988 — although its dimensions (1.4" × 8.3" × 11.75") were very similar to the Compaq LTE, but slightly lighter (4.4 lb (2.0 kg)). [8]
There were also a few notable smaller-than subnotebook PCs at this time, including the Atari Portfolio and HP 95LX [9] — both very small MS-DOS machines, roughly comparable in size to later handheld PCs.
At the end of 1992, PCMag magazine [10] described two models as subnotebooks: these were the Gateway HandBook the Dell 320SLi [11] [12] (both less than a 1.6 kg weight), and another was released in Italy: the Olivetti Quaderno. [13]
Apple and Compaq did label their machines as "subnotebooks" in this period, but the PowerBook Duo and Compaq LTE Lite otherwise qualify, and both lines were among the first to broadly popularize docking stations.
Another early model was the Hewlett-Packard OmniBook 300, which was launched as a "superportable" in 1993; it was one of the first examples to use a flash memory disk instead of a hard drive, to reduce the weight. [14]
Toshiba, also entered the market that year with the Portege T3400 and T3400CT, claiming that "It's the first subnotebook computer with all the functionality of a much larger computer"; [15] the T3400CT was the first subnotebook with a color screen. in 1995, Tosbiba introduced the Libretto 20, with a 6.1″ screen; CNet reported about the Libretto 50CT that "[it] is the first full-fledged Windows 95 notebook in the United States weighing less than two pounds". [16]
Compaq introduced its own short lived subnotebook line in 1994 called Contura Aero, notable for using a battery which was intended to be standard rather than only useful for Compaq products. [17]
IBM released a Palm Top PC (handheld laptop with 4.7" screen) in 1995. [18]
IBM had sold "thin and light" models in its ThinkPad range, such as the ThinkPad 560 ultraportable (1996) and best-selling ThinkPad 600 (1998). It finally entered the subnotebook market in 1999 with the 1.3 kg ThinkPad 240, targeted at business travellers. [19] The 240 and 240X had 10.4″ screens. Later, however, IBM replaced these with the X range, with 12.1″ screens. [20]
In 1997 Mitsubishi Electric released ultra-compact 12.1" Mitsubishi Pedion laptop line with ultrathin magnesium case (18 × 218 × 297 mm) and chiclet keyboard. [21] This short-living model line was sold only in Japan, and was discontinued after some hardware issues. Sony launched an ultraportable (ultrathin) less than an inch thick in Japan - the PCG-505, which reached the US in 1997 as the VAIO 505GX. This was followed by the even thinner Sony VAIO X505, which measured just 0.8 × 8.2 × 10.2 inches, and reached 0.3″ at its thinnest. [22] However, it was very expensive and had poor battery life, and was soon withdrawn.
Apple replace the aging PowerBook Duo line with relatively light-weight (4.4 lb (2.0 kg)) but short-lived PowerBook 2400c; this was co-designed by IBM, and manufactured for Apple by IBM Japan. In 2000 Compaq released a more compact successor of Digital HiNote line - the 10.3" Armada M300, with magnesium case and 1.6 kg weight.
Sony also launched the C1 range of subnotebooks, starting in Japan in 1998. [23]
This period was notable for a major split between lower-power-consumption and higher power x86 processors in laptops; although Intel released the Pentium 4 mobile chips, the mobile Pentium III remained available because of high power consumption on the Pentium 4 leading to high heat and short battery life. This was followed by the Pentium M, which was a dedicated line of mobile processors with no desktop equivalent. This era also featured processors from Transmeta, intended to be extremely power efficient.
One of the most notable Sony models was the Vaio PCG-C1VE or PictureBook (2001). It was one of the first machines with a digital camera built into the lid, which could be used for video conferencing or swiveled to photograph a scene. [24]
This was followed in 2005 by the Flybook convertible with a 8.9 inch touch screen. The Flybook featured a built-in phone connection for GPRS or 3G networking, and is available in a range of bright colors. This was covered in non-computer magazines including GQ, FHM, Elle and Rolling Stone. [25]
In 2006, Microsoft introduced a new ultra-mobile PC format, under the code-name Origami. These were smaller versions of Tablet PC computers; One example was the Samsung Q1. [26]
Since 2007, the laptop computer market has seen an increased segmentation of microprocessor lines to different purposes and power levels, including the introduction of the Intel Atom, ultra-low-voltage processors which has since having become mainstream, and the use of ARM microprocessors.
Another notable implementation was a migrate from CCFL screen backlit to more energy-efficiently and compact LED-backlit screens. On the other hand, over the course of the 2010s, with growing of sales for mainstream users, optical drives and legacy ports became uncommon, and some classic subnotebook features (like additional replaceable batteries, alternative input methods, docking options, Smart Cards, mobile broadband modules, additional storage) become rare. At Computex 2011 Intel announced a new system branding called Ultrabooks; these very much match the prior description of subnotebooks - they used lower-powered processors (but not as low-end as netbooks) and with each generation of Intel processors, the lower-powered U-series processors became a larger part of mainstream sales. typically lacked optical drives and legacy ports, and were generally compact, but as marketed the two terms were rarely used together. Noticeable releases:
In 2007 the ASUS Eee PC became the first of a new class of low-cost laptops commonly called netbooks. Netbooks are typically based upon the Atom processors, while other subnotebooks use more powerful processors such as ULV types.
In 2008, Apple introduced the MacBook Air, which the company claimed was the world's thinnest notebook. This model was notable for offering no built-in optical drive. [28] [29]
In the same year Lenovo released last widely known hi-end 12" subnotebook line without touchpad, the ThinkPad X200, X200s and X200 Tablet models. [30]
In 2010 saw a number of semi-rugged low-end subnotebooks for the education market, including the Dell Latitude 2100, Lenovo ThinkPad x100e, and HP ProBook Education Edition; these notably had laptop charging trolley support.
In 2011, the first Chromebooks were introduced by Google, and Intel's introduced the Ultrabook branding for premium thin-and-light laptops. Over the next several years, specific marketing of laptops as "subnotebooks" died out, and since 2017 the term is essentially dead in mainstream branding.
As of 2021 plenty of smaller laptops remain on the market which could adequately be described as subnotebooks, and the term is still sometimes used informally although is no longer used by manufacturers.
A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook for short, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a clamshell form factor with a flat panel screen on the inside of the upper lid and an alphanumeric keyboard and pointing device on the inside of the lower lid, although 2-in-1 PCs with a detachable keyboard are often marketed as laptops or as having a "laptop mode". Most of the computer's internal hardware is fitted inside the lower lid enclosure under the keyboard, although many laptops have a built-in webcam at the top of the screen and some modern ones even feature a touch-screen display. In most cases, unlike tablet computers which run on mobile operating systems, laptops tend to run on desktop operating systems which have been traditionally associated with desktop computers.
ThinkPad is a line of business-oriented laptop computers and tablets, the early models of which were designed, developed and marketed by IBM, starting in 1992. In 2005 IBM sold its PC business, including laptops to Lenovo. The Chinese manufacturer further developed the line, and is still selling new models in 2023.
A pointing stick is a small analog stick used as a pointing device typically mounted centrally in a computer keyboard. Like other pointing devices such as mice, touchpads or trackballs, operating system software translates manipulation of the device into movements of the pointer on the computer screen. Unlike other pointing devices, it reacts to sustained force or strain rather than to gross movement, so it is called an "isometric" pointing device. IBM introduced it commercially in 1992 on its laptops under the name "TrackPoint", and patented it in 1997. It has been used for business laptops, such as Acer's TravelMate, Dell's Latitude, HP's EliteBook and Lenovo's ThinkPad.
The IBM ThinkPad 701 is a subnotebook in the ThinkPad line by IBM. The 701 is colloquially known as the Butterfly due to its sliding keyboard, which was designed by John Karidis. It was developed from 1993 and sold from March 1995 until later that year and priced between $1,499 and $3,299. The 701 was the most sold laptop in 1995 and has received 27 design awards. It was based on either the DX2 or the DX4 version of the Intel i486, combined with CT-65545 graphics chip from Chips and Technologies. The 701Cs version used a DSTN display, while the 701C used a TFT LCD. It was pre-installed with Windows 3.11 and for the DX4 models also with OS/2 Warp 3.0. The 701 was discontinued because the keyboard design was no longer a necessity after screen sizes increased. After its discontinuation there has been some speculation about a new notebook with a butterfly style keyboard.
A netbook is a small and inexpensive laptop designed primarily as a means of accessing the Internet. Netbooks were sold from 2007 until around 2013, when the widespread advent of smartphones and tablets eclipsed their popularity.
Samsung Notebook, formerly known as Samsung Sens, also marketed as Samsung Notebook Series (2011—2013), is a line of portable computers produced by Samsung Electronics. The Sens line was first launched in 1995 and lasted until 2013, exported overseas without the Sens branding, and replaced by Samsung Ativ. Ativ itself was also dropped in favor of Samsung Notebook. As of 2020, Samsung Notebook co-exists with the company's Galaxy Book line of laptops but is facing transition.
The Dell Latitude series is a line of laptop computers manufactured and sold by American company Dell. It is a business-oriented line, aimed at corporate enterprises, healthcare, government, and education markets; unlike the Inspiron series, which is aimed at individual customers, and the Vostro series, which is aimed at smaller businesses. The Latitude directly competes with the Lenovo ThinkPad and the EliteBook series by HP. Additionally, the "Rugged (Extreme)", "XFR" and "ATG" models compete primarily with Panasonic's Toughbook line of "rugged" laptops. There is also a latitude named "latitude xp".
An ultra-mobile PC, or ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), is a miniature version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by Microsoft and Intel in Spring 2006. Sony had already made a first attempt in this direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series, which was only sold in Asia. UMPCs are generally smaller than subnotebooks, have a TFT display measuring (diagonally) about 12.7 to 17.8 centimetres, are operated like tablet PCs using a touchscreen or a stylus, and can also have a physical keyboard. There is no clear boundary between subnotebooks and ultra-mobile PCs, but UMPCs commonly have major features not found in the common clamshell laptop design, such as small keys on either side of the screen, or a slide-out keyboard.
Asus Eee is a family of products by AsusTek Computer Inc. The product family began with the release of the Eee PC subnotebook in 2007; since then, the product family has diversified into a number of PC form factors. According to the company, the name Eee derives from "the three Es," an abbreviation of its advertising slogan for the device: "Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play".
The history of laptops describes the efforts, begun in the 1970s, to build small, portable Personal Computers that combine the components, inputs, outputs and capabilities of a Desktop Computer in a small chassis.
The Sony Vaio P series is a range of ultraportable subnotebook computers launched in January 2009.
IBM ThinkPad 760 was a notebook computer introduced in 1995 by the IBM corporation into the market as part of the ThinkPad 700-series. It was succeeded in 1998 by the ThinkPad 770 series.
IBM ThinkPad 770 was a laptop designed and manufactured by IBM targeted for the business, enterprise and professional user. It was the last lineup in the ThinkPad 700-series, succeeding the 760 as the high-end laptop of the ThinkPad lineup. The line was produced from October 1997 to October 1999, and eventually replaced by the ThinkPad models 390X and 600X.
The Vaio C1 PictureBook was a series of subnotebooks from Sony's Vaio lineup, branded 'PictureBook' for its webcam and video capture capabilities, a first for portable computers. PictureBooks were lightweight computers, weighing 1kg. They featured 8.9" LCD displays, and were notable for being the first consumer laptop with a built-in webcam.
The ThinkPad E Series is a notebook computer series introduced in 2010 by Lenovo. It is marketed to small and medium-sized businesses.
The ThinkPad T series is a line of laptop computers. Originally developed by IBM, and introduced in 2000, the brand was sold along with the rest of IBM's business computer division to Chinese technology company Lenovo in 2005, who have continued to produce and market succeeding models.
The ThinkPad X series is a line of laptop computers and convertible tablets produced by Lenovo with less power than its other counterparts. It was initially produced by IBM until 2005.
The IdeaPad S Series is a series of notebook computers launched by Lenovo in October 2008. The IdeaPad S10 was initially scheduled for launch in September, but its release was delayed in the United States until October.
The IBM ThinkPad TransNote is a notebook computer by IBM.
The IBM ThinkPad T30 is a laptop computer manufactured by IBM.
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