Introduced by Intel in early 2011, ultrabook symbolizes a new departure in notebook technology. Intels goal is to make the most of the capabilities that make tablet computers so appealing to consumers, and mix them with the capabilities of a laptop. The hope is that this product class will establish itself as a direct opponent for the Apple MacBook, and will catch at least a 40 percent share of the notebook market by late 2012.
As designed by Intel, the distinguishing function of
Ultrabook is its stylish,
thin and light design. This thin and elegant look is added to tablet-type features, such as portability and flexibility, and combined with performance functions that make up Intels most efficient laptop yet. These features involve second generation Core CPUs providing much swifter start up times, superior graphics chip efficiency, and the Windows 7 os.
At least four biggest companies Toshiba, Asus, Acer and Lenovo have confirmed their intention to produce slimline notebooks under the Ultrabook trademark, and several of these have already been released. Asus aimed to be the very first to market with its UX21, nonetheless found itself in a contest with the Acer Aspire S3. Each of these have received good reviews, especially the Acer.
Among the characteristics of the Aspire that particularly pleased reviewers were the fast answer times, including reboot and also wake up. It needs little extra than a second for the Windows login to show after closing the screen. The battery life is presented by one reviewer as five hours right after sustained WiFi work, which was believed to be good but not exceptional, although other testers put it at seven hours. The processor alternatives on the higher end models vary from Core i3 to Core i7, whereas the lower end versions will include a 500GB or a 300GB drive.
The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, soon to be introduced, like the Aspire will be much less than half an inch thick. It is targeting for a battery lifetime of eight hours, and will offer a boot time from cold of about 10 seconds, thanks to its RapidDrive SSD technological innovation. At its top end it may be configured with 4GB of storage and a Core i7 CPU. The Toshiba Portege Z830, as well due to hit the market shortly, guarantees to be the lightest of the Ultrabooks at significantly less than 2.5 pounds, although its sizes are similar to the others. Distinctive capabilities include a variety of ports two USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, Ethernet as well as VGA and a spill resistant keyboard.
Ultrabooks are built mainly from aluminum and this is one adding factor to their high price tag of about $1,000. Acer and Asus have plans to provide cheaper models to market by substituting the aluminum designs with alternative materials like fiberglass. Meanwhile
ben s bargains has deals on the several models that make them more affordable.
So far, the market for slim, portable notebooks has been monopolized by Apple, but Ultrabook aspires to change all that. Each of the brands introduced so far has its own distinctive characteristics, which will appeal to different segments of the market. It remains to be noticed which of them if any will provide extremely serious competition.
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