Lenovo's Yoga a sophisticated PC even a Mac fanatic would love

The Life: If there is a laptop that could convince a Mac fanatic to become a PC user again, it is probably Lenovo's Yoga 13. Lightweight, durable and with a screen that flips all the way round, it is a sophisticated offering.

The Lenovo Group Ltd. IdeaPad Yoga is arranged for a photograph in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012. Lenovoís IdeaPad Yoga runs on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 8 operating system. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg *** Local Caption ***  1143049.jpg
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I've been a Mac user for the past five years, not out of choice, but out of necessity and I haven't bothered going back to PCs since. Somehow they become outdated far more quickly than Apple's laptops.

But if there is a laptop that could convince me to become a PC user again, it is probably Lenovo's Yoga 13. Lightweight, durable and with a screen that flips all the way round, it is a sophisticated offering.

It runs the new Windows 8 operating system, which does away with the traditional desktop interface in favour of live tiles similar to apps on a mobile phone. This can be quite a traumatic experience at first use, but the laptop is intuitive and easy to use and for those diehard Windows fans, you can still switch to the familiar desktop, albeit without the start button.

For this reason, these new generation of Windows 8 hybrids can seem quite schizophrenic. Is it a laptop or a tablet? Do I use the touch screen capability or traditional keyboard and mouse pad? The answer is both.

While it may take some time to get used to, it is both an intuitive and effective way to work.

Unlike other hybrids, the Lenovo Yoga's 13 inch screen is not detachable. It is, however, incredibly flexible and can sit at any angle you desire to ensure the most comfortable browsing experience.

While the screen is not fully high-definition, it has a screen resolution of 1600x900 and is responsive.

It weighs 1.54kg and measures 13.1 inches by 8.9 inches with a depth of 0.67 inches. As a laptop it is a good size. As a tablet, however, it is big and slightly awkward to use.

There is no ethernet port, so you'll have to rely solely on wireless connections.

The rubberised plastic keyboard is comfortable and quiet to use.

It runs on the 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-3517U and has a 128GB storage capacity, 4GB memory and a battery life of eight hours.

Lenovo's cheaper prices have enabled it to become the world's second largest PC manufacturer, but the Yoga is expensive at Dh4,999.