Ultrabooks to Rearrange Chip Requirements For Notebooks

[Guest]

The arrival and popularization of ultrabooks could significantly impact the semiconductor market - positively for some, and negatively for others.

Ultrabooks to Rearrange Chip Requirements For Notebooks : Read more

 

[Guest]

If the Ultra Books dont come standard w/ at LEAST 4gb or better, this will not be good for the enthusiast market.

 

[-Fran-]

Standardize the chassis for notebooks while you're debating about this stuff too.

Cheers!

 

[maigo]

cause the netbook thing REALLY took off

 

[COLGeek]

As these will be more "closed" systems compared to current notebook offerings (upgradable memory and HDDs, for example), the designers of the ultrabooks better get it right from the beginning (in terms of memory and storage). Not really holding my breath on this one for those kind of projected numbers.

 

[mikenygmail]

AMD should make a "superportable" featuring their upcoming Trinity APU and really put Intel to shame- Not that their current APU's haven't already.

 

[sundragon]

[citation][nom]maigo[/nom]cause the netbook thing REALLY took off[/citation]

IMHO - So take it with a grain of salt, haha:

Netbooks will be killed by tablets because they are mostly used for the same purpose and tablets are more convenient.

I will remind naysayers that the IT industry said the same thing about notebooks when they first arrived on the market. People thought they were only for road warriors, hampered by underpowered processors and low on storage/memory/battery life - people said the desktop was always going to outsell them – I remember reading this in PC Magazine in the 90s ☺

Fast-forward to 2011 and the desktop sales are below notebook sales... What PC makers are facing the slowing of overall PC sales so they need to do something to increase sales. This directly affects Intel’s sales.

Intel (and ARM) working to bring notebook/workstation power to ultrabooks making regular notebooks like the "desktop" of the PC world... It was a few years ago that "Workstation" class GPU was unthinkable in a notebook - just look at Alienware/Razer notebooks with impressive GPUs.

That being said - For gaming the desktop form-factor will trump notebooks because of TDP, cooling and power. What I think they are betting on that if they bring an ultrabook that is as powerful as a regular notebook – people will upgrade and it will increase sales.

 

[sundragon]

[citation][nom]Yuka[/nom]Standardize the chassis for notebooks while you're debating about this stuff too.Cheers![/citation]

^ Agree totally!

It would make upgrading all notebooks possible, but if they do that - people won't trade in and upgrade that's less $$ for them. Plus it's easier to jam everything in than following a modular design.

 

[leandrodafontoura]

Simply ship them with 16GB memory

 

[willard]

[citation][nom]Gouki146[/nom]If the Ultra Books dont come standard w/ at LEAST 4gb or better, this will not be good for the enthusiast market.[/citation]
Why would an enthusiast buy a computer with a 13" screen? These aren't for blasting through intense gaming sessions or racking up high benchmark scores for bragging rights. If you're looking for enthusiast class power in an ultrabook, you're looking in the wrong place.

That said, less than 4GB of memory in any system these days is a pretty bad idea. In fact, if you actually checked you'd see that there aren't any ultrabooks with less than 4GB of memory.

 

[SirGCal]

I think this is stupid for multiple reasons. But the most simple is that there are ways to make simple socket type connections for replacable memory that won't take more then 1-2mm of thickness compared to a directly soldered on board chip. Plus always the simple lay-down RAM designs current laptops use which take a whopping 8mm of vertical space... wee... I think greed is playing into this (forcing future upgrades due to non-upgradable of the individual parts) then the need to make it 'as thin as possible'. I'd much more prefer a 5mm thicker chassis for replaceable/upgradable memory, storage and batteries. For laptop/netbook/etc, these are at least my minimums of I won't purchase them. Heck, even my cellphone has upgradable storage...

OR - if they really want to make it as 'thin as possible', the other option would be to make a newer memory format. Something like RAM speed micro SD cards. Very tiny, huge size capabilities, but right now the SD cards are just to slow to be used for that purpose. But RAM doesn't have to be a huge 'stick' as they are normally today. There's millions of other possible options aside from soldering directly to the board. That is the lazy and IMHO, greedy way out.

 

[sundragon]

[citation][nom]Zingam[/nom]How about ARM powered ultrabooks?[/citation]

They are coming ARM A15 has started shipping, and Windows will run on it...

 

[kyuuketsuki]

[citation][nom]Zingam[/nom]How about ARM powered ultrabooks?[/citation]
We already have those. It's called the ASUS Transformer (tablet) + keyboard dock.

 

[A Bad Day]

[citation][nom]COLGeek[/nom]As these will be more "closed" systems compared to current notebook offerings (upgradable memory and HDDs, for example), the designers of the ultrabooks better get it right from the beginning (in terms of memory and storage). Not really holding my breath on this one for those kind of projected numbers.[/citation]

"Hey Bob, let's throw in 2 GB of RAM!!! Surely they'll buy a new ultrabook within three years when they realize how inadequate the RAM is. And we'll save, about $10-$30!"

"No, let's only add 1 GB..."

 

[clownbaby]

Hey Toms! Get rid of all of the cheesey low class Pop-up adds. Grow a pair and build a site worth housing your content (which can be very good at times). This is the trailer park of computer reviews.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

[citation][nom]clownbaby[/nom]Hey Toms! Get rid of all of the cheesey low class Pop-up adds. Grow a pair and build a site worth housing your content (which can be very good at times). This is the trailer park of computer reviews.[/citation]

Grow up and get Adblock.

 

[eddieroolz]

Memory makers may not be happy but the question is, how many regular users even upgrade RAM in the first place.

 

[rohitbaran]

IHS noted that the ultrabook may be considered a notebook, but it is really a new category

Well, say whatever you may, I for one still think that ultrabooks are notebooks, just overpriced. Companies like Dell (Adamo) and Apple (Air) have been doing it for many years and they never said that it is a different thing altogether.

 

[roketman]

=) )

 

[roketman]

=))