Do you remember the tangerine-colored Apple iBook? Did you drool over Sony's first slim VAIO laptop? Although performance is undoubtedly a vital factor in the success of a notebook, a system's design is equally as important. Design doesn't merely encompass the size and weight and color scheme--it extends to the product's usability as well as the proper placement of components. Whereas a glossy imprint finish may attract users looking for some flair in their computing, a poorly laid-out keyboard can be a deal-breaker.

 

With aesthetics and ergonomics in mind, we dug up five favorable notebook designs, as well as five what-were-they-thinking designs. While we could've expanded our search to the portable computers of the 1980s (which would've netted us at least 20 horrible designs), we limited ourselves to the "modern era," just to keep things balanced.