Intel Capital creates $300M UltraBook fund to drive thin-and-light designs

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in General Discussion edited January 2014
Intel Capital, the strategic investment arm of the world's largest chipmaker, announced on Wednesday a $300 million UltraBook fund to invest in new technologies for its new category of tablet-like notebooks that will challenge Apple's MacBook Air.



The fund will invest in companies "building hardware and software technologies focused on enhancing how people interact with Ultrabooks, achieving all-day usage through longer battery life, enabling innovative physical designs and improved storage capacity," Intel said in a statement announcing the investment.



The company plans to distribute the fund over the next three to four years in hopes of creating a "cycle of innovation and system capabilities" for the new notebook specification.\t



?Ultrabook devices are poised to be an important area for innovation in the $261 billion global computer industry,? said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital. ?The Intel Capital Ultrabook fund will focus on investing in companies building technologies that will help revolutionize the computing experience and morph today?s mobile computers into the next ?must have? device.?



?In 2003, the combination of Intel?s Centrino technology with built-in WiFi, paired with Intel Capital?s $300 million in venture investments and other industry enabling efforts, ushered in the shift from desktop PCs to anytime, anywhere mobile computing. Our announcement today is about Intel mobilizing significant investments to achieve the next historic shift in computing,? said Intel Vice President Mooly Eden.



Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than $10 billion in over 1,140 companies in 50 countries. Last year, the organization invested $327 million.







Intel's strategy for Ultrabook devices involves three phases: systems based on Intel's 2nd Generation Core processors arriving in time for the 2011 holiday shopping season; "Ivy Bridge"-based Ultrabooks in the first half of 2012; and finally Ultrabooks featuring Intel's 2013 processors, codenamed "Haswell."



The chipmaker unveiled the Ultrabook design in May at the Computex trade show, with an aggressive goal of pushing the specification to a 40 percent share of the consumer laptop market by the end of 2012.







The Ultrabook specification aims to bring laptops under the $1000 range while remaining less than 21mm thick. The devices are also expected to incorporate "tablet-like" features without compromising on performance.



However, Intel's partners have reportedly struggled to keep their forthcoming Ultrabook offerings under the $1000 price tag. For instance, Asustek's 13.3-inch UX31 will sell for $1600, $300 more than Apple's 13.3-inch MacBook Air.



Vendors have struggled to find alternatives to the limited-supply magnesium-aluminum chassis that Apple uses for its ultra-thin laptops. Several PC makers are said to be considering a fiberglass chassis for their first Ultrabook offerings.



Late last week, reports emerged that Intel had released to its partners reference bills of materials ranging from $475 to $710.



The Ultrabook concept follows Apple's lead in applying lessons learned from tablets to portable computers. Apple CEO Steve Jobs said last year that the design team for the MacBook Air asked themselves "What would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?"



They answered the question by adding instant-on capabilities, extended battery life and solid state storage to the late 2010 MacBook Air, while dropping the entry-level model's price to $999. The refreshed laptop became an instant success.



Apple outdid itself in July with another refresh of the MacBook Air, doubling the laptop's performance by switching to Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, while also adding the new Thunderbolt I/O and backlit keyboards. Like their predecessors, the new MacBook Airs have quickly become best-selling products for Apple, with some models experiencing temporary stock-outs at certain locations.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 62
    In the fast moving, ever-changing world of consumer electronics/computers, being the innovator and having a head start on everyone....means everything.
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  • Reply 2 of 62
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Intel supplies the R&D and economy of scale for a milled chassis which will help vendors compete with Apple moving forward whilst giving Intel a solid hold on their CPU market as ARM keeps stepping up. Sounds like a good plan to me.



    I do wonder how Apple feels about Intel giving all their competition a leg up.
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  • Reply 3 of 62
    shenshen Posts: 434member
    So all the other computer manufacturers are so useless that the chip maker has get out both the carrot and the whip to get them to move into the area where Apple is minting money? They can't see it for themselves?



    Will they also create a fund to get manufacturers to make a tablet that is actually worth a damn and can compete? Pathetic.



    Intel, these are your partners in business. Weep bitter tears...
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  • Reply 4 of 62
    Let's hope when the 3 upcoming Fabs from Global Foundries come on-line that Apple expands it's ARM assembly with GF and adds AMD Bulldozer based solutions to the Mac family as an option to Intel.
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  • Reply 5 of 62
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    In the video it looks like there was a thunderbolt port on the ultrabook, which I applaud. Other then that the video was pretty bad marketing.



    Now to the ultrabook concept - in order for it to succeed at what intel drew out in the video, they need software. Really good software that could get long battery life, that could do airplay type functionality, that can take full advantage of the new CPUs, that is optimized for the hardware at hand.



    Intel can't provide such software, and neither can any other PC manufacturer at this point. Since MS and Intel have not had the best of times lately, and with MS putting its money on ARM, I think these ultrabooks will seriously lack in software department.



    I'm not saying Windows 7 or 8 would not make for a good ultrabook for basic tasks, I just wonder if it can do seamless video feed handoff or deliver ridiculous battery life we know apple will deliver in future MBAs. Plus the iCloud integration would be a big plus in favor of Apple. Though of course it will be available on the windows side as well.
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  • Reply 6 of 62
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer View Post


    Let's hope when the 3 upcoming Fabs from Global Foundries come on-line that Apple expands it's ARM assembly with GF and adds AMD Bulldozer based solutions to the Mac family as an option to Intel.



    Until now I haven't felt that Apple moving from an exclusive with Intel was possible for their Mac line but this move by Intel seems like it'll be stepping on some toes at Apple.
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  • Reply 7 of 62
    So according to that SPOT those ultra laptops can go as high as 3 ghz in cpu speed?
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  • Reply 8 of 62
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sheff View Post


    In the video it looks like there was a thunderbolt port on the ultrabook, which I applaud. Other then that the video was pretty bad marketing.



    Yeah, that is a Thunderbolt port which makes sense as Intel designed the tech.



    Yeah, it's a bad teaser video. Seems like they are marketing toward the same people buying Droids. I'm surprised it didn't transform. It's one explosion away from being directed by Michael Bay.
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  • Reply 9 of 62
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,165member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Intel Capital, the strategic investment arm of the world's largest chipmaker, announced on Wednesday a $300 million UltraBook fund to invest in new technologies for its new category of tablet-like notebooks that will challenge Apple's MacBook Air.



    No need to look further. Apple did all the work for them. I'm sure the competition have already taken apart a MacBook Air to see how the can copy it with cheap, junky components.
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  • Reply 10 of 62
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    No need to look further. Apple did all the work for them. I'm sure the competition have already taken apart a MacBook Air to see how the can copy it with cheap, junky components.



    Depends on the company. Asus makes the best prebuilt systems right now (yeah they are better then macs quality wise) so I believe they will place some high quality parts in it. Hp and dell may as well market them as high end paper weights because that's exactly what they will be.
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  • Reply 11 of 62
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Thin-and-light is important but tablets are more important for profit growth in that space. But Intel doesn't make tablet CPU/GPUs so they got to push "Ultrabooks".



    Intel will be holding strong but I wonder if some day failing to embrace ARM rather than compete with it will bite Intel in the behind.
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  • Reply 12 of 62
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple v. Samsung View Post


    Depends on the company. Asus makes the best prebuilt systems right now (yeah they are better then macs quality wise) so I believe they will place some high quality parts in it. Hp and dell may as well market them as high end paper weights because that's exactly what they will be.



    I honestly don't think Asus has anything that even comes close to the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in terms of overall build quality.
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  • Reply 13 of 62
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Intel supplies the R&D and economy of scale for a milled chassis which will help vendors compete with Apple moving forward whilst giving Intel a solid hold on their CPU market as ARM keeps stepping up. Sounds like a good plan to me.



    Here here.



    My original impression is that we would start to see some pretty huge mergers on the PC OEM front over the next few years (i.e. ASUS+Acer+Lenovo, HP+Dell etc) and we still might, but this offers an alternative.



    One thing is for sure... something has to give. There is no way PC OEM's can hope to compete with Apple's economies of scale as the PC industry gets more mobile.



    In any case, word on the street is that this isn't simply a move by Intel to "blur the lines between traditional notebooks and tablets" but to quite literally make a tablet.



    Watch for Intel to make a relatively reserved push toward Windows 7 ultraportables next year, a pretty big splash with Win8 at the end of 2012 and throw everything they have behind Windows 8 ultraportables/transformers/tablets with Haswell in 2013.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I do wonder how Apple feels about Intel giving all their competition a leg up.



    I can't imagine they would be bitter about it. Apple know as well as anyone the position that Intel have been placed in because of ARM.
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  • Reply 14 of 62
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    There is something sort of surreal about that video, since it takes place in a world where you have to strenuously pretend Apple doesn't exist. OMG! New idea! (like the Air) Taking it to the next level! (like the Air) like nothing you've ever seen! (besides the Air).



    It would have made more sense if Apple still used PowerPC chips, but there's something just weird about Intel trying to goad the rest of their clients into doing something one of their clients is already doing, and behaving as if it hinges on some innovative new thinking. I mean, do they think we don't know about the Air? That we can't see it? That Apple's market share is sufficiently small that they can just play let's pretend?



    I understand their motives, but that doesn't make it less distasteful.
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  • Reply 15 of 62
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nvidia2008 View Post


    Thin-and-light is important but tablets are more important for profit growth in that space. But Intel doesn't make tablet CPU/GPUs so they got to push "Ultrabooks".



    As above... apparently Ultrabooks are a stepping stone toward Intel tablets.



    Ultrabook's are instant on, unibody, ultrathin cheap computers with a long battery life, an SSD and based around an Intel SoC.



    All they are missing is a tablet OS (which they get with Windows 8) and the demand they need to get the right economies of scale to compete in the tablet market (which they get with PC OEMs following the Intel reference design).
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  • Reply 16 of 62
    mac'em xmac'em x Posts: 123member
    "Come on, guys, would one of you at least try to compete with Apple? We'll, like, totally pay you."
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  • Reply 17 of 62
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Firefly7475 View Post


    As above... apparently Ultrabooks are a stepping stone toward Intel tablets.



    Ultrabook's are instant on, unibody, ultrathin cheap computers with a long battery life, an SSD and based around an Intel SoC.



    All they are missing is a tablet OS (which they get with Windows 8) and the demand they need to get the right economies of scale to compete in the tablet market (which they get with PC OEMs following the Intel reference design).



    Except that it turns out instant on, unibody, ultrathin and long battery life don't come cheap, at least not cheaper than what Apple already is doing.



    And there's no reason to think that Intel is going to be able to render a tablet reference platform running Windows 8 that gets anything like the battery life of iOS on ARM.
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  • Reply 18 of 62
    firefly7475firefly7475 Posts: 1,502member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Except that it turns out instant on, unibody, ultrathin and long battery life don't come cheap, at least not cheaper than what Apple already is doing



    Totally correct.



    If Intel had any brains they would pour millions into reference designs for OEMs to use. That way the combined OEM demand for the components in the reference designs would help to achieve the economies of scale that Apple already enjoy.



    Heck, if someone happened to make an x86/ARM tablet OS, Intel could even use the combined backing of OEM's following their reference designs to create a range of ultra-portables, tablets and hybrids that share the same base hardware components. That would sure give them a chance to compete against the ARM variants of said tablet OS.



    Intel probably won't do any of this though because they are all dumb.
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  • Reply 19 of 62
    This is great news. I don't think my new employer will allow me to run a Mac at work, so an ultra book that is in the same league as a MacBook Air would be extremely welcome!
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  • Reply 20 of 62
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ameldrum1 View Post


    This is great news. I don't think my new employer will allow me to run a Mac at work, so an ultra book that is in the same league as a MacBook Air would be extremely welcome!



    Your optimism is interesting, but possibly misplaced. A MacBook Air is not just about the form factor. That said, why can't you just buy the latest MacBook Air and install Windows BootCamp on it? Most employers are really opening up to this option.
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