For the first time in a long time there is a lot of buzz in the technology world where the news is not about an Apple product.  In fact, this new technology may be the first real competition Apple has seen since the iPhone.  Ultrabooks will be hitting the shelves in the upcoming weeks and promise to bridge the gap between tablets and laptops.

 

 

Ultrabooks Under $1,000

Intel is not just playing the “chip-maker” this time, as they attempt to hit it big with a super-thin laptop that promises to be as light as a tablet, but as fast as a desktop.  These marvels of technology are supposed to be sold for less than $1,000 which will put them in the same price range as the Macbook Air.   Intel has been having a hard time convincing manufacturers that the price can be under $1,000, however, as the materials to build the machine alone can cost $700.  The profit margins will be slim, but Intel needs the price to be kept low so that it can make up for those margins with a high volume of sales.

As consumers, we would all love to see these razor sharp and lightweight laptops under $1,000, but Intel has to convince companies like Lenovo and Asus to put all these parts together and still sell the Ultrabooks at this price point.  Who knows what the fallout will be if they can’t meet these demands, but it will most assuredly put a smile on the faces of Apple executives.

 

 

The big question, though, is if the Ultrabooks will be as fast and innovative as the Apple counterpart.  If this were a thinness competition, the Ultrabooks would win out over the Macbook Air, being only .67 inches thick.   Included on the super thin notebook will be one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port.

But Ultrabooks can’t just compete on price.  They need to outdo their competition with performance and functionality as well.  Some people, like the now retired CEO of Acer is saying that these slim laptops are just a fad and that Intel needs to focus on more innovation, but after seeing the buzz that has been created over Ultrabooks, it seems that consumers see this as innovation enough, just as long as the price point can be kept under that elusive $1,000 mark.

So what are the specs on these Ultrabooks?  According to Intel, this process is still evolving and we won’t fully know what these machines can handle until the last minute.  We do know that they are supposed to have a 5 hour battery life, however, and include rapid start technology which will use flash memory to drastically improve start up time.   Some of the later models will also include a touch screen as well, but this depends greatly on when Windows 8 will be coming out.

Intel is investing a lot of time and money into the Ultrabook project, including a 300 million dollar Ultrabook fund, but only time will tell if this investment will pan out for the company.    Offering a touch screen on these laptops will definitely bridge the gap between tablets and laptops, though, and might be a game-changer in the ever evolving world of technology.

CJohn Phillips writes on identity theft protection and has written Lifelock reviews as well to help consumers know how to protect their privacy in today’s world.

Further Reading:  Typical Laptop Breakages: Clumsy Me