News & Analysis
Comment
SylvieBarak
You'll like the next Ultrabook piece I've written, then :) Posting it in a ...
cod37
Thinner, lighter, better battery life, instant on/off - these are what it's ...
Intel's Ultrabook challenge: Win over consumers
Sylvie Barak
1/3/2012 8:21 PM EST
SAN FRANCISCO--Intel Corp. has been pushing the concept of “Ultrabook” PCs for almost a year, but to date, only four PC OEMs have introduced the thinner, lighter, sleeker notebooks to market.
Several more have announced future devices based on Intel’s reference design, but whether the devices will succeed in the market is still a hotly debated subject.
“The current Ultrabooks are nothing more than a slim and light-weight notebook, or should I say MacBook Air clones with a Windows operating system,” said In-Stat analyst Jim McGregor, claiming that the platform is far from revolutionary.
Instant-on capabilities, touch screens, new security features, all-day battery life and many other sleek features are mostly tied to the release of Windows 8 later next year, said McGregor, adding that this would also depend on Microsoft sticking to its schedule.
Intel, however, claims that while Windows 8 enables a good touch experience, it has very little to do with the near-term success of Ultrabooks and says it has over 60 design wins lined up for Ivy Bridge already that are not dependent on the operating system.
While some Ultrabook features may be new to traditional notebook models, McGregor said they are simply “evolutionary trends” already set in motion by other mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
Ultabooks, he said, were simply further blurring the line between PCs and tablets, especially with the rise in popularity of detachable keyboards and the expectation of the Windows 8 operating system.
“The main difference between the tablet and Ultrabook platform will be software, consumer usage models, and/or purchasing and business models,” said McGregor, pointing out that while Intel drove the trademarked Ultrabook brand, it was nothing more than a rebrand of its previous ultra-thin branding exercise.
Taking his argument a step further, McGregor posits that the Ultrabook brand is simply not important to consumers.
“The concept of the slim notebook is just an evolution in mobile computing that is long overdue. The entire PC ecosystem has a history of trying to charge more for smaller devices rather than viewing the trend as a path to further growth,” he said.
Current economic circumstances and increased competition, however, have led the PC ecosystem to view the born-again Ultrabooks as a potential lifesaver.
“While the term lifesaver may seem rather extreme, it is fitting,” said McGregor, positing that the PC industry is feeling the crunch after losing its position as a magnet platform for applications, more critical in the minds of contemporary consumers.
Sources close to Intel have rejected McGregor's claims, however, noting that Ultrabooks don’t compete with tablets – that it is just netbooks that compete with tablets.
Several more have announced future devices based on Intel’s reference design, but whether the devices will succeed in the market is still a hotly debated subject.
“The current Ultrabooks are nothing more than a slim and light-weight notebook, or should I say MacBook Air clones with a Windows operating system,” said In-Stat analyst Jim McGregor, claiming that the platform is far from revolutionary.
Instant-on capabilities, touch screens, new security features, all-day battery life and many other sleek features are mostly tied to the release of Windows 8 later next year, said McGregor, adding that this would also depend on Microsoft sticking to its schedule.
Intel, however, claims that while Windows 8 enables a good touch experience, it has very little to do with the near-term success of Ultrabooks and says it has over 60 design wins lined up for Ivy Bridge already that are not dependent on the operating system.
While some Ultrabook features may be new to traditional notebook models, McGregor said they are simply “evolutionary trends” already set in motion by other mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
Ultabooks, he said, were simply further blurring the line between PCs and tablets, especially with the rise in popularity of detachable keyboards and the expectation of the Windows 8 operating system.
“The main difference between the tablet and Ultrabook platform will be software, consumer usage models, and/or purchasing and business models,” said McGregor, pointing out that while Intel drove the trademarked Ultrabook brand, it was nothing more than a rebrand of its previous ultra-thin branding exercise.
Taking his argument a step further, McGregor posits that the Ultrabook brand is simply not important to consumers.
“The concept of the slim notebook is just an evolution in mobile computing that is long overdue. The entire PC ecosystem has a history of trying to charge more for smaller devices rather than viewing the trend as a path to further growth,” he said.
Current economic circumstances and increased competition, however, have led the PC ecosystem to view the born-again Ultrabooks as a potential lifesaver.
“While the term lifesaver may seem rather extreme, it is fitting,” said McGregor, positing that the PC industry is feeling the crunch after losing its position as a magnet platform for applications, more critical in the minds of contemporary consumers.
Sources close to Intel have rejected McGregor's claims, however, noting that Ultrabooks don’t compete with tablets – that it is just netbooks that compete with tablets.
|
|
|
|
|
Navigate to related information
Neo1
1/3/2012 9:02 PM EST
Making products thinner and lighter is the path most developments take and this is what is happening in mobild computing too. I would see it as a next step in laptops but hope they don't mimic the tablets because that would mean taking aways the high computing power a laptop meant as a portable computing device.
Sign in to Reply
eewiz
1/3/2012 9:38 PM EST
Clone Macbook Air and call it Ultrabook! Cant these PC manufacturers do something by themselves?
Sign in to Reply
denco
1/3/2012 10:04 PM EST
Clone the Fujitsu Lifebook Q2010 and call it the "Air". Can't Apple do something by themselves?
Sign in to Reply
gnipho
1/4/2012 3:31 AM EST
Clone Toshiba Portégé 3020 (anno 1999!) and call it Air! Can't Apple do something by themselves?
Sign in to Reply
eeWill
1/4/2012 9:24 AM EST
Uhh??
Sign in to Reply
markhahn
1/3/2012 11:36 PM EST
there's space for a variety of mobile devices. today's ultrabook is just fitting a "premium netbook" niche, which is fine - it's a valuable use-case. it's not the same use-case as tablets, though: they're are more of an appliance, less general-purpose, not suitable for serious typing, more for reading, less for multitasking. that's not to say that touch wouldn't be welcome on ultrabooks (actually, the big improvement there would be higher-quality IPS-type panels.)
Sign in to Reply
resistion
1/4/2012 2:06 AM EST
So now it's the keyboard that is the distinguishing hardware between tablet and PC?
Sign in to Reply
Duane Benson
1/4/2012 12:32 PM EST
It would be keyboard, performance and industry standard software. The line is certainly thinning.
I'm anxious to see how the "instant on" really works. That feature has been promised for a very long time. I've yet to see it on a Windows device.
Sign in to Reply
chanj
1/4/2012 2:47 PM EST
"...or should I say MacBook Air clones with a Windows operating system." is an unfair statement. Various brands introduced thin laptop computer long before MacBook Air came to the market. A lot of high end Windows based PC from Sony, Fujitsu and Toshiba are lighter than MacBook Air.
Just over the weekend, I have stopped by Microsoft shop to check out various PC. There are various impressive notebook computer although I have hard time differentiating ultrabook from regular notebook computer. A PC of 2.2 lbs with full HD screen is an ultrabook or is just a notebook computer. I have seen another PC which is comparable to 11" MacBook Air. It costs $100 less. The industry design is impressive and the choice of material is perfect.
With the experience, I believe, for Ultrabook to be successful, better differentiators have to be introduced. Light weight and long battery life are just some of those. Consumers are looking for more.
Sign in to Reply
Suhel
1/4/2012 5:31 PM EST
you are missing the point. There were mp3 players long before iPOD, but iPOD defined the MP3 experience.
Apple is never first to market - it just brings the best product to market. Best - measured in terms of features that consumers care about and are ready to pay for. Not features that are laundry listed in a magazine.
MACAir - key (price premium) features
instant on less than 10s (always)
Display resolution - the best there is
Light - I dont know if they are the lightest now - but light enough that improving this further is pushing on a string
Easy-to-use
Tough to define, but when you can get away with charging 2x, you know you have done something right
Sign in to Reply
Mahanth Gouda
1/4/2012 2:50 PM EST
Only four PC OEMs have introduced the thinner, lighter, sleeker notebooks to market.
--- Making the product thinner, lighter and sleeker is not the only thing that will help, it's mostly about the power and performance. And then comes the commercial aspects of it, will it be cheaper compared to ARM based products, and then comes Business models, whether intel keeps their OEM's tied to their trends or give the flex to add their own stuff on it.
Sign in to Reply
Mahanth Gouda
1/4/2012 2:51 PM EST
Followed by the strong eco-system.
Sign in to Reply
selinz
1/4/2012 4:18 PM EST
The unique thing that Apple brought to the table was the ridiculously high price... The LapDock (Motorola's name) approach is likely to be the trend of the future as mobile devices become powerful enough to satisfty 90% of consumers. I still expect Microsoft to integrate the desktop and mobile platforms at some point.
Sign in to Reply
sglobe
1/4/2012 9:46 PM EST
i love to buy apple's product, however considering the price, i change my mind. if this ultrabook is much cheaper than mac air, then i will purchase this gadget [url=http://www.ako.com].[/url]
Sign in to Reply
Growl
1/5/2012 3:30 AM EST
It's the pride and glory that differentiates it! You use an Apple - you are something and ahead of the pack. Buy a WinTel machine - just a common user.
Sign in to Reply
milosb55
1/5/2012 12:19 PM EST
Ultra-book with touchscreen is viable option that is useful in the business community and it should be able to replace standard Laptop computers that are to heavy and luck multiple options (fast start-up, longer battery usage, tablet like features, and removable keyboard), that Ultra-books have or will shortly have. Business community also requires much better security than what Tablets offer and for any heavy work pop-up screen keyboard can not replace full keyboard.
Sign in to Reply
y_sasaki
1/5/2012 12:19 PM EST
The concept of Ultrabook reminds me APS camera with 28mm film cartridge. APS was indeed good camera - sleek, light and compact, easy to use, compare to 35mm film camera. However APS camera market did not really take off. People just hate to pay for film and DPE service, no matter how APS was good as film camera.
I have no doubt Ultrabook will be good PC, but will PC could be good product for upcoming years? People just hate to deal with all those PC problem - configuration, compatibility, virus / malware, software update etc. Even though those issues are fundamentally remains for Smartpad / Smartphone too, impression for general people is Smartpad / Smartphone is much easier to deal than PC.
Sign in to Reply
chipmonk
1/5/2012 12:29 PM EST
Apple caters to the 1 % wannabes and continues to wrack up large margins by manipulating them here as well as by using "slave" labor in China via Foxconn etc to assemble the i - whatevers.
Apple represents the worst hypocrisy of the Baby Boomer generation that grew up dealing drugs and then became Lawyers or MBAs.
Jobs represented the nadir of this hypocrisy - a hyper - capitalist with pseudo " Buddhist " pretensions.
The smartest thing that dropout Jobs ever did was to glom on to Steve Wozniak and market the Apple I built by Woz. That made the biggest difference to Jobs life.
Sign in to Reply
vandamme
1/6/2012 2:52 PM EST
Now if it ran Linux instead of Windows, you'd have something useful at a fair price.
Sign in to Reply
Michael.Cowan_#3
1/6/2012 3:19 PM EST
Add great speech and command recognition in noisy environment, and eliminate the keyword. Run software abstraction layer so I can run window and Android apps.
Don't call it a Ultra PC or a tablet, call it a 'Personal Assistant' to the World of information
Sign in to Reply
abraxalito
1/6/2012 10:42 PM EST
Ultrabooks are what customers have been wanting for several years now - the fact that they've finally come to the party is a sign that Intel is now beginning to feel the pinch from ARM. Too little, too late for the PC though. If they'd not dragged their feet then the PC would still have more years to live, but Intel has hastened its demise with its own complacency.
Sign in to Reply
seaEE
1/7/2012 12:20 AM EST
Good screen, portable, light weight, long battery life and easy connectiviy to peripherals. That's all I want, that and a fast internet connection, all for a reasonable price, of course.
Sign in to Reply
Anatolio
1/7/2012 12:42 AM EST
Good UltraBook. I saw it in the Shop and on eBay.
What Apple did? It add 100% of cost and call it "Air".
Also print A4 on Samsung SoC and put it into iPhones.
Sign in to Reply
Frank Eory
1/7/2012 12:22 PM EST
Really, a "Samsung SoC"?. Samsung is the foundry for the A4, the design and the IP is Apple's.
I guess every fabless semiconductor company is just printing their name on a "TSMC SoC" or a "UMC SoC" or Global Foundries, etc.
Sign in to Reply
cod37
1/8/2012 10:20 AM EST
Thinner, lighter, better battery life, instant on/off - these are what it's about. I hear many high end smartphone users complaining about battery life - most users do not think about tech limits until the word goes around or they see it themselves. Spread the word. :)
Sign in to Reply
SylvieBarak
1/8/2012 6:28 PM EST
You'll like the next Ultrabook piece I've written, then :) Posting it in a bit...
Sign in to Reply