MSI planning 13.3-inch U300 ultraportable notebook for CES

Laptop Mag had an interview with MSI Director of US Sales Andy Tung about the upcoming MSI Wind notebooks. One of the things Tung revealed is that MSI will show off a 13.3" U300 ultraportable notebook at CES 2009.

This system won't be part of the Wind netbook lineup, but he says it will be surprisingly cheap. Tung added they're looking for a platform that can offer 6-7 hours of battery life on the U300, and he said they're considered using Centrino 2 or Atom platforms with the Intel Atom Z530, but they've also considered a platform from AMD and NVIDIA's GeForce Atom platform.

Is 10-inches the only form factor we’ll see in the U.S. or will 8.9-inch screens come here? Will there ever be an 11-inch or 12-inch netbook?
We think people really want the 10-inch display in a netbook. It has been the most popular by far. We will be launching the 13-inch MSI U300 at CES. This isn’t a Wind but it’s part of our U line which refers to “ultraportables.” I think we will cut the Wind branding off at 10-inches but I am not positive about that just yet.

The U300 is a 13.3-inch device and it is very, very slim and light. I think when you see it you will be really surprised by the aluminum design and the price. We have put a lot of focus on it. I cannot comment on the price yet but it will definitely not be priced like a $2,000 typical ultraportable. I think it will just be a big shock for everybody.