The next generation of laptops is thinner and lighter–and may make you think twice about needing a tablet. Should you buy one now? The Ultrabook, a new class of ultraportable laptops defined by Intel, has been making waves lately as the next major step in laptop design.

1. 20/09/2011 04:11
blog.bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
Thinner and Lighter Windows Laptops
Redefined: Everything You Need to Know
About Ultrabooks
Thinner and Lighter Windows Laptops Redefi- Intel defines Ultrabooks as having Intel Core pro-
ned: Everything You Need to Know About Ultra- cessors, a thickness under 21mm (0.8 inches), and
books a long battery life (initial Ultrabook models are ra-
ted for at least 7 hours). They also share 11- to 13-
The next generation of laptops is thinner and ligh- inch displays, a weight under 3 pounds (closer to
ter–and may make you think twice about needing 2.5 pounds), and a near-instant resume from sleep,
a tablet. Should you buy one now? thanks to their solid-state drives. Ideally–and this
The Ultrabook, a new is the kicker–Ultrabooks should be priced at un-
class of ultraportable der $1000. In short, Ultrabooks are designed to be
laptops defined by Intel, inexpensive, high-performance, and svelte laptops.
has been making waves
lately as the next major Ultrabooks Are Like the MacBook Air…But
step in laptop design. Not
These ultraslim and lightweight laptops promise to
combine the conveniences of tablets with the func-
tionality of larger notebooks. If Intel and Ultrabook
manufacturers can get the design and technology
right, Windows users may finally have relatively
affordable and varied alternatives to the reigning
ultrathin laptop, Apple’s MacBook Air. In addition to
the much thinner and lighter laptops we’ll see this
fall, you can expect combo devices with sliding or
removable multitouch screens for true all-in-one
versatility.
Here’s what you need to know about Ultrabooks
and whether you should prepare to purchase one.
What Are Ultrabooks? Toshiba Portege Z830 UltrabookIn concept, Ultra-
books aren’t really new: After all, the MacBook Air
Ultrabooks are laptops based on reference designs meets the criteria, and Apple revealed it in 2008. And
that Intel announced at the Computex trade show the laptop industry as a whole was already racing
joliprint
in May. Although Intel makes computer chips, not to thin-and-light long before the MacBook Air made
entire laptops, the company has provided the Ul- skinny popular; five years earlier, for example, we
trabook specification (five different ones, actually) had the 2-pound Sony VAIO x505.
to laptop manufacturers so that they can produce a
Printed with
new army of “thin, light, and beautiful” portables.
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2. 20/09/2011 04:11
blog.bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
Thinner and Lighter Windows Laptops Redefined: Everything You Need to Know
About Ultrabooks
Some people might argue that the MacBook Air is an The First Ultrabooks
Ultrabook, but “Ultrabook” is also a marketing term
that Intel trademarked this year–a term that des-
cribes the laptop PC’s comeback attempt in a world
of rising tablet and smartphone fame. To date, if
you wanted a well-designed, high-performance ul-
traportable laptop–something that you could easily
carry everywhere without having to worry about
looking for an outlet every couple of hours–and
specifically one that cost about a grand, you’d have
to turn to the MacBook Air.
As PCWorld laptops editor Jason Cross has pointed
out, Windows laptop makers haven’t been able to
keep up with Apple in its innovation, marketing,
and pricing for the MacBook Air. Ultrabooks, howe-
ver, may be the first worthy MacBook Air rivals,
machines that can compete on all levels: design,
hardware specs, and price. And Intel is pushing for
innovation beyond the MacBook Air model.
See Also:
Acer Aspire S3 UltrabookThe first Ultrabooks are co-
ming this fall, from Asus, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba.
(You might also consider the Samsung Series 9 to be
an Ultrabook, but it debuted before Intel announced
the Ultrabook concept.)
Asus UX21: The first Ultrabook to be introduced,
this 2.4-pound laptop has an 11.6-inch display, a
0.66-inch thickness, and an Intel Core i7 processor.
It’s expected to start at under $1000 and launch
this month.
Toshiba Portege Z830: Billed as the “world’s lightest
joliprint
13-inch laptop,” the Z830 starts at just under $1000,
is 0.63 inches thin, and weighs under 2.5 pounds.
Acer Aspire S3: Launching at 799 euros ($1134)
Printed with
and promising to capture the MacBook Air feel, the
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3. 20/09/2011 04:11
blog.bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
Thinner and Lighter Windows Laptops Redefined: Everything You Need to Know
About Ultrabooks
13.3-inch Aspire S3 offers a Core i3, i5, or i7 proces- Alternatively, you might prefer to get in touch
sor and a choice between a traditional hard drive with Windows 8 Ultrabooks next year, or hold out
or an SSD. for Ultrabooks with 24-hour battery life, which are
due in 2013.
Lenovo IdeaPad U300s: This 13.3-inch Ultrabook is
expected in November starting at $1200. The U300s CloudTag: Windows Laptop , Ultrabooks , Dell d830
will be available in Core i5 and i7 models, and will Battery , Sony vgp-bps8 battery , Hp pavilion dv6
have a Clementine color option. battery , Dell vostro 1510 battery
The Future of Ultrabooks: Laptops Meet Tags: Dell d830 Battery, Dell Vostro 1510 Battery, Hp
Tablets pavilion dv6 battery, Sony vgp-bps8 battery, Ultra-
books, Windows Laptop
Intel has indicated that the potential of Ultrabooks
exceeds what we’ve seen in current ultraportable
laptops. After the initial Ultrabook models (the Win-
dows MacBook Air clones) come out this year, we
should see a second wave based on Intel’s next-gene-
ration Ivy Bridge chips–systems with touchscreens
that swivel or slide out of the way. In other words,
they’ll be superthin, convertible tablets.Intel is cal-
ling Ultrabooks a “new category of what promises to
become the must-have, most complete and satisfying
computing devices over the next couple of years.”
Should You Buy an Ultrabook?
Lenovo IdeaPad U300s UltrabookThis year’s
Ultrabooks are truly attractive laptops–for
both business and personal use, and especially for-
travel. They’re powerful, flexible, incredibly thin,
light, and durable. If you need a laptop right now,
these are among your best options.
However, at the moment Ultrabooks aren’t the great
value we first envisioned (due to manufacturers’ is-
sues with high costs and limited supplies), and laptop
makers are taking a wait-and-see approach to this
new portable category, despite Intel’s $300 million
joliprint
investment in the project. If you have a couple of
months to wait, you could see these Ultrabooks drop
in price and become even more attractive.
Printed with
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