When something is as successful as Apple's Macbook Air, it's bound to inspire imitators. That is obviously the goal of the Asus Zenbook UX31, which is thin as a wafer and light as a feather.
At an incredible 3mm at the front and 9mm at its thickest section at the back, the Zenbook UX31 definitely won't offer much of a muscle workout when you carry it to your local coffee shop to do your homework. It's also pleasing to the eye, with a sleek outer casing made out of spun metal and hairline aluminium.
But Asus has focused on more than just the look and feel of the Zenbook UX31 when putting together a challenge to the Air.
Like the Air, the Zenbook UX31 comes equipped with a solid-state drive (SATA3 standard), which is not only faster than conventional rotating hard disks but also allows the Zenbook to boot up faster. And with Asus' own Super Hybrid Engine II software, the Zenbook will come back to life with 'instant on' in two seconds while offering four to five times the standby time, and up to 25 per cent longer battery life.
The Zenbook comes with a choice of Intel's i5 or i7 processors, Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, either 128GB or 256GB of storage and a 13.3-inch, 16:9, high-definition display with LED backlight.
All those features make the Zenbook more than an equal to its Apple predecessor.