Intel says Ultrabooks trump MacBook Air, iPad

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014


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 ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 131
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    But they still run Windows...... so....
  • Reply 2 of 131
    dunksdunks Posts: 1,254member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "'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.
  • Reply 3 of 131
    roontoonroontoon Posts: 20member
    What kind of crack are they smokin'?
  • Reply 4 of 131
    old-wizold-wiz Posts: 194member
    must be quaking in their boots! Obviously once the ultrabooks are out, sales of MBAs and iPads will drop like a stone and investors will dump Apple stock and the price of Apple stock will fall to $10 per share. People now owning MBAs and iPads will sell them and buy Ultrabooks!





    not.
  • Reply 5 of 131
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    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?
  • Reply 6 of 131
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    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?
  • Reply 7 of 131
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    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?
  • Reply 8 of 131
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,087member
    I really need to sell my INTC stock. This company is adrift



    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
  • Reply 9 of 131
    beeman60beeman60 Posts: 52member
    Intel has got to be kidding, right? Anyone who wants a windows machine has a ton of choices to pick from. I use Mac, and when I load windows virtually, I have a better PC than an actual PC.



    This ultrabook bullshit - I bet it goes nowhere fast. Good luck to the cloners....
  • Reply 10 of 131
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    "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..."



    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.
  • Reply 11 of 131
    kolchakkolchak Posts: 1,398member
    Keep talking, Intel. A lot of people including myself have written off the rumors about Apple porting OS X to ARM sometime in the next few years, but keep flapping your gums like this and Apple might just do it sooner rather than later.
  • Reply 12 of 131
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    So Intel is against against devices that don't uses their processors. Seems pretty reasonable to me.
  • Reply 13 of 131
    noahjnoahj Posts: 4,503member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmm View Post


    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.
  • Reply 14 of 131
    It's obvious that Apple can't rely on Intel as a key supplier when its representatives diss Apple's products. After courting Apple for all those years until Apple finally made the transition to Intel, is this how Intel pays Apple back? Cloning the products that Apple has developed and competing with one of its largest and prominent customers?
  • Reply 15 of 131
    If you casually compare the spec, some ultrabooks may seem competitive. Problem is they all built with the similar BOM. As if no one would notice, most only offer 1366x768 max resolution even with the most expensive models. 768 vertical resolution is the same as xga 1024x768 circa 10 years ago! Then there is the cheap plastic cases most use.



    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.
  • Reply 16 of 131
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    In related news, Ford says the Focus trumps Chevy's Corvette.



    Why does anyone care what Intel says?
  • Reply 17 of 131
    prof. peabodyprof. peabody Posts: 2,860member
    This is just marketing spin. This part here:
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "... 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" ?????
  • Reply 18 of 131
    bwinskibwinski Posts: 164member
    N O T !!!!!!!
  • Reply 19 of 131
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by answercall View Post




    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!
  • Reply 20 of 131
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    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!
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