Released by Intel in early 2011, ultrabook signifies a new departure in laptop technology. Intels purpose is to make the most of the capabilities that make tablet computers so attractive 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 conceived by Intel, the distinguishing feature of Ultrabook is its stylish, thin and light design. This thin and elegant look is added to tablet-type characteristics, such as portability and flexibility, and combined with performance features that make up Intels most efficient laptop yet. These features contain second generation Core CPUs providing much swifter start up times, superior graphics chip performance, and the Windows 7 os.
At least four significant manufacturers Toshiba, Asus, Acer and Lenovo have announced their intention to produce slimline laptops under the Ultrabook trademark, and several of these have already been launched. Asus aimed to be the first to market with its UX21, nevertheless found itself in a race with the Acer Aspire S3. Each of these have received positive reviews, especially the Acer.
Among the features of the Aspire that particularly impressed reviewers were the fast answer times, including reboot and wake up. It takes little extra than a second for the Windows login to show after closing the screen. The battery life is given by one reviewer as five hours right after sustained WiFi work, which was thought to be good but not spectacular, although other reviewers put it at seven hours. The processor features on the higher end models vary from Core i3 to Core i7, whilst 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 aiming for a battery lifespan of eight hours, and will offer a boot time from cold of around 10 seconds, thanks to its RapidDrive SSD technological innovation. At its top end it may be configured with 4GB of memory 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 much less than 2.5 pounds, although its proportions are similar to the others. Distinctive capabilities include a variety of ports two USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, Ethernet and also VGA and a spill resistant keyboard.
Ultrabooks are built mainly from aluminum and this is one adding factor to their high price tag of close to $1,000. Acer and Asus have plans to provide cheaper models to market by replacing the aluminum designs with alternative materials for instance fiberglass. Meanwhile ben s bargains has deals on the various models that make them more affordable.
So far, the market for slim, portable laptops has been monopolized by Apple, but Ultrabook aims to change all that. Each of the brands released so far has its own distinctive capabilities, which will appeal to different segments of the market. It remains to be noticed which of them if any will provide certainly serious competition.
