I'd like to think that 15.4" is just the perfect size for a widescreen notebook, because there are some footprints that are too small, like those Averatecs, Sony Vaios, or Dell I710m (I believe it was the 710m that had that itty-bitty footprint). However, I think that 17" would be too difficult to lug around in some areas, and I see 17" being more for a desktop PC.