What you need to know about Ultrabooks

by Vincent Chang | 5 September 2011 7:26pm SGT

The first Ultrabooks have been announced by manufacturers like Acer, Lenovo and Toshiba at the IFA tradeshow. But what exactly are they? Here's what we know about these super-slim notebooks.

What is an Ultrabook?

As defined by Intel when it introduced the concept at this year's Computex tradeshow, an Ultrabook is a "new mainstream line of mobile computers" that is also thin and light. These super-slim notebooks should measure less than 21mm thick, are able to resume from sleep almost instantly and guarantee a minimum of 5 hours battery life.

Toshiba's Portege Z830 (Credit: Toshiba)

At the same time, performance isn't compromised for the sake of portability, as the initial wave of Ultrabooks will have Intel's second-generation Ultra-Low Voltage (ULV) Core-i processors within. More importantly, the presence of a solid-state drive will significantly improve the responsiveness of these laptops.

Meanwhile, the 22nm iteration, Ivy Bridge, which further improves power efficiency and performance, will debut in next year's Ultrabooks. Intel also promises future USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt support on this platform.

Why now, Intel?

A growing number of portable computing devices, from tablets to e-book readers have affected PC sales, with Netbooks taking the brunt. With Microsoft preparing to launch its Windows 8 operating system next year with support for ARM processors, the possibility of inexpensive, energy efficient notebooks powered by the same chips used in smartphones is looking more and more likely. As the leading chipmaker for notebooks, such trends cannot be ignored by Intel.

The Ultrabook is hence the company's answer to the threat posed by such devices. For example, the instant resume and long battery life found on tablets are addressed directly by the Ultrabook with the use of an SSD and its ultra-fast startup and instant resume. And it will perform like a PC when you need it, which is something that tablets cannot match.

How much would Ultrabooks cost?

Although Intel is pushing for Ultrabooks to be under US$1,000, it's not clear at this moment if every manufacturer will follow this guideline. Lenovo plans to sell its U300s Ultrabook for US$1,195. Toshiba has said that its Portege Z830 Ultrabook will start from under US$1,000, while Acer has stated that its Aspire S3 will go for between 799 to 1,199 euros (US$1,129 to 1,695).

When will Ultrabooks be available?

Acer, Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba have all announced their Ultrabooks and other manufacturers can't be too far behind. However, these laptops will only debut earliest at the end of this month, with the majority of them expected in October. If you intend to grab one, it's very likely that there will be plenty of choices come the year-end holiday season.

Can Ultrabooks succeed?

It's hard to argue that the Ultrabook is a new development: Sony's Vaio Z is an example of an ultraportable laptop that features Ultrabook characteristics like a lightweight chassis and an SSD. What's different is that the Ultrabook targets the mainstream segment and it is not a premium notebook like the US$2,000 Vaio Z.

Of course, the Ultrabooks that we have seen aren't exactly that affordable. They overlap the prices of Apple's similarly sleek MacBook Air, which starts at US$999. While consumers don't seem deterred by Apple's pricing, this may not work for PC manufacturers. On the bright side, Intel has thrown its vast resources behind this platform and has set up a US$300 million Ultrabook fund to help drive its adoption.

Unless prices come down further, it may be a tough sell for PC vendors. One only has to look at the tablet market to see the limited success enjoyed by companies that price their slates to match Apple's iPad 2.

Even the tech-savvy crowd appears ambivalent about Ultrabooks, judging from this online poll conducted by CNET. Although this survey was done when the Ultrabook concept was first announced, it remains to be seen if the 32 percent of respondents that weren't interested then, have been persuaded by the recent Ultrabook launches, especially as these laptops seem to cost close to US$1,000.

If you ask us, the Ultrabook concept ticks all the boxes with its portability and performance. Now, it's just a matter of finding the right price.

About the author

After years of reviewing the innards of PCs in his previous job, Senior Writer Vincent Chang has moved on to covering notebooks and PC systems at CNET Asia. A big reader of sci-fi and fantasy, he has accepted the inevitable and gone down the e-book route, though he's still resisting the siren call of the Kindle.

Vincent Chang, Senior writer