It has been months since Lenovo announced that its IdeaPad S12 would be the first netbook (or borderline notebook) with Nvidia's Ion, but it has since been MIA. Lenovo says, the system will now ship during the Windows 7 timeframe.
On track to ship at the end of October, the IdeaPad S12 with Intel's Atom N270 and Nvidia's GeForce 9400 graphics will be $50 more than the standard Intel Atom version and will retail for $550. Though more than the average netbook, we expect it to be worth it, especially if it truly performs like we've seen.
However, Lenovo's delay may prevent the company from being the first to market with an Ion powered netbook. Samsung's N510 has been confirmed to ship in the U.S. next month for $599. And we have also been told that HP has plans to release an Ion system of their own in the coming weeks. HP would not comment on the rumors.
Updated: According to Laptop Magazine Samsung is also planning to hold off on its N510 for Windows 7.
Nevertheless, Lenovo hinted that the experience of Windows 7 on the S12 would make it more compelling than the Vista version it was originally planning to sell.