Toshiba surpasses Apple and Lenovo with world’s lightest notebook

Toshiba Corp. launched an ultraportable notebook today, known as the Portégé R500-S5007V, that it claims to be the world’s lightest at only 2.4 pounds, surpassing Apple’s MacBook Air, which weighs approximately 3 pounds, and Lenovo’s Thinkpad X300, which weighs approximately 2.93 pounds. The notebook measures 0.77 inches at its thinnest point, according to Toshiba.

Toshiba also claimed that the new notebook was the first to include a 128GB solid-state drive rather than a hard drive, which will be the only option for now, according to a Toshiba representative. Toshiba said its new laptop can run for eight hours on a single battery charge, as it runs on a lithium-ion battery. Battery life is also preserved by the laptop’s transreflective 12.1-inch screen, which can shut down the LED backlighting by reflecting the sun’s rays to illuminate the screen.

Price and specs after the break.