Windows laptop makers are finding it hard to dethrone the MacBook Air, according to Jason Cross of PCWorld. In a strongly worded piece, Cross pointed out how computer makers such as Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and Sony (NYSE: SNE) have made laptops of similar heft in the past, but then opted to pull them from the market instead of pressing on to correct their faults when they failed to perform.

Cross wrote: "My point here is not simply that PC manufacturers are quitters. It's that they have the entirely wrong mindset to build must-have products." One way to make their laptops thinner, he suggested, would be to lose the optical drive, something that laptop manufacturers appear to struggle with.

I can't say I agree with everything Cross says, though I had considered how baffling it was that laptop makers have found it so difficult to make a truly compelling laptop that performs well and looks good.

I personally use a VAIO Z as my work laptop, which is both powerful and has good aesthetics. Unfortunately, it is also expensive compared to other laptops on the market. So when a friend asked me for a recommendation recently, I found myself recommending the MacBook Air after hearing her requirements.

What do you think? Are Windows laptop makers really so far behind?

For more:
- check out this article at PCWorld

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