Mitsubishi to ship world's thinnest notebook

Star of the show is the Japanese company's Pedion, a unit that genuinely earns the epithet 'ultra-thin'. Due for a release in the April-June quarter, the Pedion is just 18mm thick, weighs 1.45Kg and measures a little larger than A4.

That said, storage apart, there is little sacrifice in the specification with a 266MHz Pentium MMX processor, 64Mb RAM, 1Gb hard drive, 13.3-inch 800 x 600 TFT screen and sound all part of the package. An optional 'media pack' docking station includes a 20-speed CD-ROM drive, floppy drive and speakers. Pricing will be in the £3-4,000 bracket.

As a warm up to that impressive act, Mitsubishi will next month ship the Apricot AL700. Based on Pentium MMX processors, the Apricot AL700 range will start at £2,799 + VAT on the street for units with 48Mb SDRAM, 3.2Gb Ultra DMA hard drive, 20-speed CD-ROM drive and 56K modem, with the unusual bonus of a year of unlimited Internet access.

Also, in the second calendar quarter, Mitsubishi will release a lower-specified notebook aimed at the corporate fleet market, the Apricot AL300.

Mitsubishi Electric: 0800-212422