> The VAIO® TZ model incorporates the power of a larger PC into a small, portable form factor. Luxuriously sleek, it weighs just 2.65 pounds and measures less than 1-inch thin.
> It's generally reckoned that there are four categories of laptop. Desktop replacements weigh in at 4kg, mainstream models are closer to 3kg, thin and light models weigh 2kg to 3kg and then you get the really desirable models called ultraportables that weigh less than 2kg.
> Sony actually took a shot at such a system with its Sony VAIO X505 notebook introduced in May 2004 as a limited experiment. It was thin like the MacBook Air, tapering from 0.8" at the back hinge to 0.38" at the front, and smaller, with a 10.4" screen (so it fits comfortably in a regular 8 1/2 x 11 envelope). As a result, the X505 weighed just 1.84 lbs, so carrying it really was like a thick magazine. The price at that time started at a hefty $2999, and the power and storage were limited to a Intel Pentium M 1.10 GHz processor, with 512 MB memory, and 20 GB hard disk (with an external CD/DVD drive, and a dongle connector for video and network).
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The chase for having the thinnest laptop was already in full swing when Apple came out with the Air in '08.
The part of the laptop area is the "ultra portable" laptop and the key criteria there is indeed the "how much does it weigh". When optimizing for that, the dimensions of the device are influenced. One way to get a lighter device is to make a smaller one.
Apple went with making it smaller in one dimension and larger in others.
So, Apple wanted a full size keyboard, larger display, and more performance. To get that set of targets, they needed to make the overall device thinner.
yeah, but what looks better ? our device is 1mm thinner then previous version or our device is 50g less in weight? PR pushes hard on this thinness numbers and camera megapixels at least this is my observations and I could be wrong (I might been hit with different kind of ads and reviews)...
My point is that it is very likely that reviewers did not forced Apple to do anything (like what is the chance) but Apple pushed reviewers to focus on whatever they wanted to show(how many reviewers will tell you on how hard or impossible it is to change a battery on your device, or that you can't upgrade the disk or RAM as you did in the past)
Honestly Apple started the thinness fetish, so IMO the reality is like this
Apple pushes thinness fetish -> Reviewers and fanboys are now corrupted and will flaunt the size of their camera and thinness of the device.