Intel's $1000 Ultrabook: The Dream and The Reality

[sundragon]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]personally, i hope people who view a laptop as a fashion accessory die off. it encourages people to charge more for looking "prettier"[/citation]

*continued* I don't know what happened

Color me a "fashionista_douchebag" - I do quite a bit of serious computing, buddy
I care about what I look like... Women love it!
I care about what I drive, what I wear, what my laptop looks like There's nothing holding the PC manufacturers back if Apple (I

 

[sundragon]

*continued* I don't know what happened

Color me a "fashionista_douchebag" - I do quite a bit of serious computing, buddy
I care about what I look like... Women love it!
I care about what I drive, what I wear, what my laptop looks like There's nothing holding the PC manufacturers back if Apple (I

 

[sundragon]

*sorry for the multiple posts, I'm trying another browser*
[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]personally, i hope people who view a laptop as a fashion accessory die off. it encourages people to charge more for looking "prettier"[/citation]

*continued* I don't know what happened

...if Apple can build an Air why can't the rest of the PC world at least build a comparable laptop?
I thought Apple had "Tax"?
Honestly, there is nothing wrong with wanting something that is powerful and has aesthetic appeal. It's no less macho or manly.
BTW, here's a lil hint, bud - Women like it when you care about what you look like... It gets you more a$$ than a toilet seat But I digress...
If Apple can do it, then honestly the PC makers should easily be able to make a machine that matches the specs, looks better (not a copy) and costs less... Unless there isn't all this "Apple Tax" people speak of...

 

[Guest]

What is really amazing is that people will gladly pay more for less because its thin?

 

[Maximus_Delta]

Another pro Applce c5ap article. Why don't you point out that if you switch to Apple you are tied forever to one manufacturer for hardware and OS, something that MS took us away from all those years ago thankfully. So tiresome these borderline retards who should just be blogging thinking because they know a little bit about tech and a little bit about what's trendy they are an authority on the computer industry and what we all want.

 

[Guest]

The NEXT PC wish list:
1. Display that is at least 30 cm in width and 22.5 cm in height. Orientation should be change-able from landscape to portrait.
2. Physical dimension equal or less than the display size, and no thicker than 2 cm.
3. Direct manipulation of objects in display.
4. Please do not take away display real estate by putting the text entry mechanism into the display.
5. Power last for at least 12 hours on heavy usage.
6. Unlimited storage capacity, ie grow with need.
7. External interfaces to external display, external sound systems, external direct storage.

Any other wishes?

In my mind, there are some potential realization of the above.
1. Touchscreen, done that and sold that.
2. Cameras monitoring typing, a la Kinect. Physical keyboard is no longer require, and we have already given up tactile feedback in tablets, so it's the next logical progression. Maybe, some paper template to establish layout and for visual aid.
3. Small physical storage onboard (200 GB?) for when we don't have network connectivity. Otherwise, all files get moved onto the Cloud (all transparent to the user). The hardware vendor provides the storage Cloud and offers expansion at specific price to customer.

 

[Guest]

I wish tom would mark opinion articles with "Opinion:" when they release it under "News".

 

[DSpider]

I don't know, guys. I think carrying a laptop (netbook, ultrabook, whatever you wanna call it) is just luggage to me. An iPod touch (or similar touchscreen device, like a smartphone, whatever) is basically all you need. There's wifi everywhere now.

Think about it. With HTML5 all you need is a device that can go on the internet. You'll have all your tools (or tools that do very similar things) right there.

When you go somewhere (on vacation, etc) you should enjoy that place, talk to people, have fun. But when you do actual work, a desktop will be perfect because of its fixed position. Your mind will eventually associate that place with doing work just like it associates going to bed with sleep - and it's why the bed and the bedroom should only be used for sleep (and sex). Working from a coffee shop (so people can oogle your expensive laptop?) or on an airplane is complete fantasy for 98% of the people, 100% of the time. For business executives that do a lot of travelling it's more like 10% of the time or less, a few days a month. And it only applies to a handful of people, not you.


Also, finding replacement parts for laptops 3 years from now will be a challenge. And if you do ("if"), they'll be expensive and they'll be second hand, which means you have no idea how the owner treated it or how long it will last. You can only speculate.

People buy laptops because they think they lead an active life and need to stay in touch all the time, when in fact they only use it on their desk or on the toilet.

Down vote this if you think you bought your precious laptop for doing "actual" work while being "mobile". Then think how many times you simply used it like a regular desktop and draw your own conclusion.

 

[belardo]

The idea and market for a THIN notebook is fine and dandy... but its got to be usable.

I ordered a ThinkPad X220 for a client, but was going to go for the very thin X1... But in the end, it wouldn't be good oveall. Why?
1 - Heat... its cooling system isn't up to the task.
2 - Noise... again, having a hard time keeping the I5 CPU cool
3 - weight... its actually abit heavier than the X220
4 - Glass - uber reflective screen, ugh.

Here is the thing, a notebook can only be so thin. There needs to be room for a keyboard, a battery, some electronic parts.

Get this, SONY, THinkPad with their $$$ "Ultra" thin notebooks have the same STUPID accessory... am optional add-on battery slab to give the unit more running time - which kind of DEFEATS the THIN GOALS!! GEEZ!

Lenovo makes the T420s series, which is a 1" thin version of the 1.4" thick T420 (no S)... after comparing both side by side and seeing them taken apart... I don't think the extra $300 in costs is worth it. Its not as expandable, not as many options... and looking at it from the top, you can't tell which is which.

 

[demonhorde665]

I have to admit that I haven't been a big fan of the ultrabook idea since its very first pitch, simply because I don't believe it is a product that deserves the name "ultra" (at least not yet). From what we "know so far, an ultrabook is defined by being super slim, super fast (startup and response time) and a decent amount of battery time. It's a matter of your perception if that is enough to justify the description "ultra". I would say, though, that thinner and faster is exactly what we have been getting for the past 15 years - and this pitch is getting a bit long in the tooth"

I agree ultra should not be the word they use for this , i'd go will slimbook ??

Ultra to me means bad--- , now if teh did a huge 20 inch laptop and slamed massive desk top components in it , i could see calling that an "ultra" , but nothgin about this device make me think it is "ultra" compared to a regualr note book or laptop. yeah i'd go for Slimbook, unless that name is already patented/trademarked by some troll.

 

[Sashmo99]

The more important conversation should be about what "innovation" would actually look like. The reality is, one way or another, whatever Intel was claiming they are doing, 'ultra' is a buzzword is a buzzword is a buzzword - like any other [epic, uuber, ground-breaking, etc.]

It's unreal the technology available to the mainstream these days, and very disappointing the companies with the applicable resources can't get creative enough to package them together [or, maybe they simply don't have Apples for balls and want to be market leaders]

1) Battery Life: Imagine going on a world trip without packing anything but your tiny notebook - no chords, nothin! Get creative, if batteries can only improve marginally, find other wireless ways for us to charge.

2) Motion Sensing Tech, AKA Kinect: The ability to interact with our devices without the need for keyboards/mice would greatly improve portability, variety of input types, cool factor. Think about the possible applications in business, entertainment, and education.

3) 3D: Combine this with the Motion sensing tech and think about the implications for design, entertainment, communication, education, and all kinds of scientific research!

These were off the top of my head. Especially 2,3 should be considered innovations as they ultimately change our entire interaction [input, display] with our notebooks.

Most importantly, consider the # of markets these innovations would create (and subsequently, jobs!).

 

[dark_lord69]

"Cost: Does it Matter?"
Well I suppose if you are a millionair it doesn't.
Personally, I would never buy a laptop that cost $1000.
You're just begging for that thing to drop $500 in price/value in about 1 year.

 

[malphas]

[citation][nom]lamorpa[/nom]What? Not everyone is a sucker. A computer is used. Use is its number one feature. Use is directly related to performance.I agree there is a (sucker) market segment that buys a computer for bragging rights (thin, shiny, etc.), but those iUsers are not the bulk of the market.[/citation]
No, you've misunderstood my point entirely, the majority of people have very low performance requirements for the usage their computer gets (90% of which is done in a web browser); you don't need high spec components for that, but you may well still want something that's solid, light, well built, etc. rather than a netbook or plasticy TimelineX. You've be best advised not to go into any kind of business career if you can't spot the obvious market for a moderately priced ultraportable rather than a high priced ultraportable with unnecssarily more powerful components.

Personally, if I'm using an 11-13 inch screen laptop, I'm not going to be video editing or using Photoshop or gaming, I'm probably going to be checking email, web browsing or instant messaging - I have a desktop for productivity use.

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]sundragon[/nom]You then don't give a hoot about what you wear? Even if it's a jacket that's meant to be used? Or your car for that matter - it's a utility to go from A to B? Laptops are tools, nothing wrong with spending a little effort making them pleasing to the eye... Apple certainly makes a killing doing this, haha.[/citation]

i ware a 10$ t shirt, 3$ silky exatic shorts, 50$ tennis shoes (bad feet, need something quality or else the insides of my feet feel like they rip after walking long) and 10$ for 15 pairs of socks.

i dont own a car, because its a waste of f***ing money if my bike can get me where i need to go, i have friends who can drive if i ever need to buy something to big to carry in a backpack.

im make and my hair hasnt been cut in i think 3 years

and my glasses are big, so i dont see ANY fuzzy crap out the sides

personally cant give a f*** what i look like and it shows,

 

[Guest]

I agree that $600-$700 notebook is fine for most work, however...again somebody who works with notebooks in the field(!) spends on them more or less then $2000 in order to have better reliability, resolution,...while hardware performance is actually for me largely irrelevant since almost any laptop today will do just fine. And I agree, as somebody here pointed out, those wide screens on laptops are garbage for working (where are the old days?)...and if I want to watch a movie there are better options then a laptop! Laptops in my opinion should be made for work and should not be judged on the ability to be able to run the latest games and watch movies. As regards design, on which this author spends a substantial amount of time, I am more then satisfied with current design by most companies...and in the end it is not really important...important is that the laptop works!

 

[Guest]

You said you were looking for a workhorse right now. I completely agree with your thoughts overall but did want to know what machine you are targeting at the moment? Because of the availability of dell power cords at work, home, and elsewhere, I'm almost resigned to choose dell.

 

[Guest]

My $0.02 to apprehend rockwell61301's point. I have tried the windows stand alone with essentials only loaded. I have am elusive user experience in the program transitions and multi tasking. But then the updates comes into picture, which drags the performance a bit down until the SPs are relased. Why dont MS try to update the primary source files instead of an aspect based overloads. When MS fixes this, you cannot beat Windows on your ability to scale. Bloatwares are usually space consumers when intelligently disabled on boot.