![]() Despite having a 1.6-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 (a relatively powerful CPU for an ultraportable), the Air scored behind some of the other ultraportables we tested in its 3-pound weight class–even models that had slower processors. ![]() But its beauty is little more than skin deep. As with anything else that Apple crafts, the Air’s industrial design is phenomenal. The MacBook Air is a superslim ultraportable laptop that you can slip into very thin spaces. And despite its powerful configuration, the VGN-Z598U weighs only about 3.3 pounds (4.2 pounds with the power brick). The twin SSDs probably contributed to the VGN-Z598U’s astounding WorldBench 6 score of 107, the highest we’ve seen from an ultraportable. ![]() But our test unit also packed a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a dedicated nVidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics processor into its tiny 12.4-by-1.3-by-8.3-inch frame. Primary blame for the sticker shock goes to a pair of 128GB solid-state drives, which jack up the starting price by roughly two grand. If money is no object (yeah, as if that were the case these days), then by all means, scoop up this overstuffed but lightweight beauty. This ultraportable starts at $1499, but our review unit’s configuration inflated the total to an eye-bulgingly-high price tag of $4450. The same could be said for some of Sony’s more distinctively designed laptops, such as the Sony VAIO VGN-Z598U. You’ve probably heard of the “Apple tax,” the premium you pay for an Apple product.
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