Longing for the days of laptops the size of the the PowerBook Duo, reader Eric Nix offers the following request:

Have we seen the end of Apple's ultra portable laptops? Hopefully, no.

Many users demand ultra portability because of frequent travel. In my case, I frequently travel to third world countries for international relief work. I need something that's ultra portable with a decent battery life. Stocked with a few extra batteries, it might be days before I can plug into an electrical outlet to recharge a battery.

Here are the reasons why we 12" PowerBook users feel abandoned and why we hope Apple will produce another ultra portable laptop:

1. Not every person needs a widescreen display: Most of us don't watch movies on our laptops. Most of us use the laptop for surfing the internet, reading email, word processing or business applications. Although a widescreen is suited well for many users, it adds unnecessary inches to a laptop's width.

2. A smaller size translates into better portability: Ever tried using a laptop on a cramped airplane, train or bus? Imagine doing this in a third world country where the seats are even closer together than in the U.S. Yes, you can pack humans on a bus like sardines in a can. It's not the ideal place for a 17" widescreen, but the current 12" form factor works well.

3. Smaller screens allow for better battery life: No unnecessary pixels to illuminate.

4. Smaller sizes and lighter weights make it easy to tote around: Every ounce counts when you're toting textbooks or extra batteries to your class -- a half mile away from your parking garage.

5. Thin is in: A thinner laptop allows one to pack in more of those textbooks, papers, and other "fun" stuff into your laptop bag. Some of us will even opt to carry additional batteries in the saved space.

How about it, Mr. Jobs? Will you give us a 12" non-widescreen MacBook Pro for us ubergeek travelers who demand portability, or will you alienate us and force us to look for Windows (gasp) ultraportables?

Contributed by: Eric Nix, MD