By Bankole Orimisan
IN its move to improve its competitiveness in the mobile computing market in the country, the largest chipmaker, Intel Corporation, has demonstrated commitment to re-invent mobile computing experience with its latest introduction of a new category of device that delivers best-in-class performance and highly satisfying computing experience, called the Ultrabook into the computing market.
According to the Vice President/General Manager of the Intel PC Client Group, Mooly Eden, said: “The new class of "Ultrabook" PCs will have "thin, light, beautiful" designs and be priced for the mainstream market, as opposed to high-end buyers. Intel expects the new systems to account for 40 percent of consumer laptop sales by the end of next year”
Eden, noted that an initial crop of Ultrabook PCs would go on sale from PC makers in time for the holiday shopping at this New Year. Based on Intel's existing Core processors, they will be less than 20mm (0.8 inches) thick and priced under US$1,000, Intel said.
A second wave of Ultrabooks will appear in the first half of this year, based on Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge processors. A final wave is due in 2013, based on a new Core processor design, code-named Haswell. Haswell will half the power consumption of Intel chips compared to today's laptops, Intel said, enabling thinner designs and longer battery life.
He said, the Acer Aspire $3 integrates the best features of notebook and mobile devices, offering users powerful performance for digital creation, in addition to ultra-fast responsiveness and interaction for content consumption, enhancing the freedom and overall computing experiences of users on the go. It resumes in a quick 1.5 seconds and delivers 50-day battery life via Acer Green Instant on; features large hard drive capacity; and connects to the Internet in 2.5 seconds
Intel has been trying to regain its footing in mobile PCs after being caught off guard by the popularity of tablet computers. Most tablets are based on chip designs from ARM Holdings, and Intel has been working hard to develop new Atom processors that will give it a footing in that market, he said,
In the meantime, Ultrabooks are an effort to spark fresh enthusiasm for PCs, sales of which have been in decline. Intel said Ultrabooks will "marry the performance and capabilities of today's laptops with tablet-like features and deliver a highly responsive and secure experience."
It remains to be seen how much they will capture consumers' imaginations. The systems due later this year don't sound very different from the thinnest laptops available today. Samsung's Series 9 notebook is just 0.64 inches high, though it's priced for higher-end buyers at $1,650. The 11-inch version of Apple's Macbook Air is 0.68 inches at its thickest point and starts at $999.
Intel discussed its plans to rejuvenate PCs -- without revealing the Ultrabook name -- at its analyst meeting a few weeks ago. Intel is accelerating its shift to new manufacturing technologies to enable laptops that can run all day on a single battery and that have touchscreens and faster boot-up times.
"This is not just about evolving the PC. This is about reinventing the PC into a much more consumer electronics-like device," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said at the time.
Intel is also pushing ahead with its tablet efforts. Maloney was due to show 10 upcoming tablet PCs on stage at Computex, all based on Intel's new Oak Trail Atom processor, the Z670. He will also talk about Intel's new chip platform for netbooks, called Cedar Trail, which will allow fanless models with a fast resume technology called Intel Rapid Smart.
He is also due to give the first demonstration of Intel's Medfield processor running Google's Android 3.0 operating system, known as Honeycomb. Medfield will power smartphones, as well as tablets that can be less than 9mm thick and weigh under 1.5 pounds, Intel said.
This will be Maloney's first big public appearance since suffering a stroke early last year. He has been resuming his duties at Intel gradually since the start of the year, and was recently made head of Intel's China operations.
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