Mumbai: Exploring preferred consumer style trends for laptops, in its latest consumer behaviour report, online comparison shopping store PriceGrabber.com, part of consumer credit information service, Experian, says that consumers prefer easy to carry, or portable-style, laptops.

It defines portable-style laptops as weighing less than six pounds, and having a screen size of less than 15 inches, measured diagonally.

It said of the 72 per cent of respondents who indicated owning or using a laptop, 58 per cent own or use a portable-style laptop.

The online said that its results are based on a survey of 1,868 online consumers, conducted in late February 2008.

Consumers who have different laptops for work / school and personal use carry the burden of travelling with multiple laptops. Of those surveyed, 38 per cent need two or more laptops. The demand for portable-style laptops has increased over the past year, as more consumers find it a nuisance to carry around standard-size laptops, let alone two.

42 per cent of online consumers say they would travel more often with a laptop if it were smaller and lighter.

46 per cent of consumers stated that performance is the most important feature to consider when purchasing a portable-style laptop. Unfortunately, as performance increases and the size of the laptop decreases, it comes with a price that not everyone is willing to spend.

Of the nine per cent of respondents who anticipate spending more than $2,000 for a portable-style laptop, 62 per cent said they value performance as the most important feature, while 11 per cent value battery life and nine per cent value weight.

Survey results indicate that the majority of online consumers are split between low-end (under $1,000) and midrange-priced ($1,000-$2,000) portable-style laptops.