CNETAnalysis: Meet Kirabook, the Windows 8 laptop from Toshiba that could give Apple’s Retina-rowdy MacBooks a run for the money. The Kirabook is the first out of Toshiba’s Kira line, a new range of premium laptops, and it’s an impressive preliminary go. Spec wise Kirabook runs with a 13.3-inch screen that’s beset with a 2560 x 1440 resolution and what the company calls “PixelPure” touch technology. Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina houses 2560 x 1600 and slams 227 ppi into the screen, six more than Kirabook’s 221ppi. So, in a word, Kira is comparable, though it has the option of touch up its sleeve. Kirabook boon By even more comparison, Google’s Chromebook Pixel lauds 239ppi, but the real coup for the Kirabook is its pixel density, one that is the highest we’ve heard for a Windows laptop. Moving on, the body weighs 2.6 pounds and slips in at 0.7 inches thick, meaning it’s lighter and thinner than the Pro with Retina . There’s also an LED backlit keyboard and Harman Kardon speakers. As for the innards, this is where consumers way turn away in monetary fright. There are essentially three options for processors with three different prices: the one with an undisclosed chip costs $1,599, one with an Intel Core i5-3337U runs at $1,789 and one with an i7-3537U tops out at $1,999. Yes, it’s high end. If it eases the price pain, the i5 Kirabook does include 8GB of RAM and a 265GB SSD, though yet more powerful versions will be available. Kirabook buyers will also be given perks like a two-year warranty, “annual tune-ups” and “dedicated U.S.-based agents” as part of the package. Pre-orders are said to get underway May 3, followed by retail available availability on May 12 at Amazon, Best Buy, the Microsoft Store, B&H, Adorama and through the Toshiba website. While pricey, the promise of dedicated “agents” has ! us intrigued.
