Intel says Ultrabooks trump MacBook Air, iPad
In an interview published on Monday, two Intel representatives claim that the features, price point and operating system of Ultrabooks beat out Apple's thin-and-light MacBook Air and iPad tablet.
Intel says that the products coming from its Ultrabook initiative are more functional than Apple's iPad and represent a better value than the MacBook Air, for which the company currently supplies processors, reports PC World.
Product manager Anand Kajshmanan and media relations representative Alison Wesley sat down to discuss Intel's vision of what a so-called Ultrabook represents, and why it is investing so heavily in the program.
"'Ultra' means pinnacle, and we wanted the Ultrabook to be the pinnacle of everything that users have come to expect from their computing device," the representatives said. "So we did extensive research into what users' expectations were for their mobile computing devices, and there were four things that really stood out."
The definition of the Ultrabook category comes down to a product that is "ultra-responsive," portable, has great battery life and is secure. Intel goes on to say that the power of the initiative lies not only in the platform, but the variety of devices that are available which it calls a "plethora of choices."
When asked to compare existing and future products against the popular MacBook Air, the pair noted that the device is powered by an Intel Core processor, shares some of the same attributes as an Ultrabook and represents a "great choice for someone who wants to invest in the Mac operating system."
"But really, with the Ultrabook, it's about offering all those things in the same device--the great responsiveness, the great battery life--and with an operating system that people have come to love over the years, as well as all the legacy applications that they would like to run," they said.
Apple's MacBook Air will be in direct competition with upcoming Ultrabooks. | Source: Apple
One of the key differentiators is price of entry and Intel believes that it can bring the most value to the table by driving down traditionally high device cost to reach "mainstream price points."
"We have the $300-million Intel capital fund to kick-start this innovation, and we're bringing everyone together and saying, hey, this is a great opportunity," the representatives said. "We're definitely working with our partners to supply a lot more volume, which will bring Ultrabooks down to the mainstream price points."
An exact number was not mentioned, and Intel finds "mainstream" to mean what the market will bear.
As for the iPad, Intel dismisses the tablet because it doesn't have the tactile feedback that comes with a keyboard. This is not to say that the company has written off touch input altogether, however, and thinks that touch-screens will be a huge selling point in 2012 and 2013.
Upcoming Ultrabooks sporting designs that can transform from clamshell into tablet are thought to be big sellers and although similar products have been available for some time, Intel's thin and light platform will make the format a bit more portable. Windows 8 was mentioned as being a driver in touch computing on convertible laptops.
Speaking again of choices, the duo noted that the various implementations of touch input across the expected array of products will be able to fill the needs of more customers than comparable devices.
The Lenovo Yoga features a convertible design and is expected to launch later in 2012. | Source: Lenovo
The future of the Ultrabook has yet to be determined, though some analysts don't see the sector generating the sales Intel is looking for. Apple, on the other hand, has seen success with its MacBook Air line which, as of November 2011, accounted for 28 percent of the company's notebook shipments. In addition to MacBook Air sales, the strong performance seen by the iPad helped make Apple the world's largest computer maker in 2011, and analysts only expect the tablet's market to grow in 2012. Apple's newest iPad enjoyed record sales of over 3 million units during its first weekend on sale earlier in March.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
"'Ultra' means pinnacle, and we wanted the Ultrabook to be the pinnacle of everything that users have come to expect from their computing device,"
Including Mac OS X or iOS?
I think not.
not.
As usual, Apple paves the way and suddenly, everyone is making Air clones.
What's the next spin on Apple's products will the competitors make now?
But they still run Windows...... so....
If they're in the market for a Windows computer, that isn't actually a problem. I think the quote looks a bit out of context here in the way it's used in the headline. I'm sure intel is happy to supply that many cpus for the airs. On a side note, Lenovo has been trying out different concepts from the others, and I do like that. I don't know that I like this design, but it follows the same logic as Marvin's previous concept (although possibly not the exact details).
Didn't a couple of these ultrabooks use the low power NVidia embedded graphics rather than Intel HD3000/4000s?
It wasn't that long ago that iHaters, trolls, and whiners were lambasting Apple's Macbook Air design.
As usual, Apple paves the way and suddenly, everyone is making Air clones.
What's the next spin on Apple's products will the competitors make now?
I was looking at one of these ultra books the other day and the absence of a BlueRay drive means they are certain to fail.
What are those Intel boffins smoking?
It will hurt, because it was my first real investment back in 1995. But oh my God, have they F***-up in the mobile space
This ultrabook bullshit - I bet it goes nowhere fast. Good luck to the cloners....
If hope they're not talking about windows. I've used windows at work for 12 years and i don't love it. I love to hate it.
And just because many people use windows, doesn't mean they love it either.
If they're in the market for a Windows computer, that isn't actually a problem. I think the quote looks a bit out of context here in the way it's used in the headline. I'm sure intel is happy to supply that many cpus for the airs. On a side note, Lenovo has been trying out different concepts from the others, and I do like that. I don't know that I like this design, but it follows the same logic as Marvin's previous concept (although possibly not the exact details).
Didn't a couple of these ultrabooks use the low power NVidia embedded graphics rather than Intel HD3000/4000s?
This line says it all:
When asked to compare existing and future products against the popular MacBook Air, the pair noted that the device is powered by an Intel Core processor, shares some of the same attributes as an Ultrabook and represents a "great choice for someone who wants to invest in the Mac operating system."
"But really, with the Ultrabook, it's about offering all those things in the same device--the great responsiveness, the great battery life--and with an operating system that people have come to love over the years, as well as all the legacy applications that they would like to run," they said.
For them it is all about getting this running Windows.
A lot of them weights in close to 4 lbs.
The few rare one with higher rez has price point approaching the 13" MBA.
The same old race to the bottom strategy employed by the pc industry vendors as they only know how to compete.
Why does anyone care what Intel says?
"... we did extensive research into what users' expectations were for their mobile computing devices, and there were four things that really stood out."... "ultra-responsive," portable, has great battery life and is secure. ..."
... is pure BS.
Sure, they asked a bunch of consumers what they wanted out of a next gen laptop and they response was ... "portable" and "secure" ?????
The same old race to the bottom strategy employed by the pc industry vendors as they only know how to compete.
Agree with all the previous posts...but this one was particularly poignant!
Most companies adopt the "Walmart" business model...sell crap, cheaply and hope to sell a lot of it! Jobs was right....in tech you have to innovate until you are 10 years ahead...and keep innovating to maintain the lead. Yep, a lot of Chinese crap can copy Apple's form factors, but they can't put the whole package together!
In an interview published on Monday, two Intel representatives claim that the features, price point and operating system of Ultrabooks beat out Apple's thin-and-light MacBook Air and iPad tablet.
The Mac Pro beats the MBA and iPad on features and price, too.
Nothing will beat Windows for bloat and stodginess, though!