I have to admit that when I first saw the new Dell Inspiron Duo (pictured below, US$549.99), my first thought was “this should have been an Apple first”…

Others have had their own forays into the hybrid market, but to be honest, the thought of running Windows and the usual flimsy construction or poor implementation has so far kept me away from making the move, despite loving the concept. And Linux distros like Ubunto for Netbook haven’t done a much better job at wooing me either (though we run it on the household/kids’ netbook).

But now, Apple has patented a new design which might indicate their entry in the market, hopefully in the near future. I can’t wait, if so.

To be noted: I’m not sure how comfortable those side rails would be though….