CES 2011 will see the first of Sandy Bridge-powered notebooks debut, where it will offer quad-core processors to those who think that dual cores aren't good enough for their everyday computing needs. We do know that upcoming MacBooks will sport the new Sandy Bridge processors, with an unreleased Alienware M17x also sporting Sandy Bridge, and expect other notebook vendors like Lenovo and Acer to follow suit.

Of course, there is also the albatross around the neck for manufacturers since January is normally one of the more difficult moments to introduce products since OEMs have built up all of their systems for the holiday season, and to have something new replace an item or product you released just a month ago isn't exactly the wisest of transitions to make. Most of the quad-core systems will come with 15-inch and 17-inch displays, so expect to build up some muscles in your shoulders while you tote these puppies around in the long run. If you want a quad-core system with smaller displays, you might have to wait for NVIDIA to do their dance with smartphones instead.