realblackstuff said:
Prime objective of a laptop is long battery life.
In many cases yes, but not always.
Laptop use varies considerably. Whilst you might favour long battery life, what does the person who carts the laptop back and forth between his or her office and home every day want? Maybe they never use it on the move, and always have a power outlet to plug it into. This person might prize weight (or lack of) as the main objective.
In the desktop replacement market (people who just use a machine on their desks, but want it to be a cool laptop rather than an ugly desktop) probably don't care about battery life or weight. They probably care about specification - good processor, good memory, good upgrade path, lots of connectors, etc.
If, on the other hand, you ARE an on-the-move laptop user, yes you DO care about battery life. You have also probably discovered that no matter how long the battery lasts, you always wish it lasted longer. So you buy an extra battery. And you have to carry that about with you too. So you prize battery weight (or lack of) as a main objective, as well as battery life.
As some who is becoming increasingly laptop oriented, I can say that I want ALL OF THE ABOVE and more in my laptop. And that's a pretty hard thing for manufacturers to follow.