back to article Ultrabook makers take the Ivy Bridge path

Intel launched quad-core versions of its Ivy Bridge processor in April but held back on dual-core versions, apparently to sell out its Sandy Bridge dual-core chips. With the dual-core Ivy Bridge CPUs out this month, PC makers are already starting to announce notebooks based on the new architecture. Intel Ivy Bridge chip …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. h4rm0ny

    AMD

    No mention of AMD's forthcoming efforts? Intel seem to rule the high performance end but AMD's new APUs should be appearing in ultrathin laptops before the year is out for cheaper and with Good Enough performance for what they are. Also, any word on re-pricing for Intel's efforts? I understood that they'd done the early adopter milking and were going to be putting prices back to saner levels this Autumn?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Touch screen on laptops?

    I mean, why? What possible reason would you have for touch screen when you have a keyboard and mouse/touchpad instead? Just to get grimy finger marks on the display?

    I can see why touch-screen is good for a tablet - more display for a given overall size since the display doubles up as input - but not for something with a permanent keyboard, etc.

    1. Dave 126

      Re: Touch screen on laptops?

      Not only grimy finger smears on the screen (its bad enough when showing someone some drawings and they insist on prodding the screen) that puts me off touchscreen, but the poor ergonomics of reaching that far forward, too.

      A scaled-down Microsoft Kinect might be better suited- (might be, with the right software) to interacting with laptops, as it doesn't merely replicate what the mouse does, doesn't leave smears and doesn't require me to lean forwards.

    2. Tom 35

      Re: Touch screen on laptops?

      Must make everything work like a phone.

      Ok not a good reason.

      Yes a phone no one wants.

      1. Figgus

        Re: Touch screen on laptops?

        Yes a phone no one wants.

        Well, one can assume this laptop will be running Windows (just like that phone no one wants)...

  3. Robert E A Harvey
    FAIL

    outdated screens, not enough conenctors

    1,600 x 900 is a little less insulting at the price point than x768, but it's still nowhere near good enough for the 2nd octile of the 21st century. We've been building typewriters with LCD screens for decades now, is this really still the best we can do?

    of course not. It is still possible to buy a netbook for something like a quarter of the price, so why are these machines still so poor.? OK, posh CPU. Which of us stresses our CPU to the ultimate? Screens, connectivity, storage, are all inadequate. if they want to take a thousand currency units off me, it better be worth 1000. Why not stick a wireless DVD drive in the box with it at that price?

  4. S.G.

    What is Intel thinking?

    Do they think end users go in the shop, point their trembling fingers to a laptop and ask in anticipation "ooooh, is it an Ultrabook?"

    Or do they think businesses ask for laptops which are to Ultrabook specifications?

    They are truly deluded!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What is Intel thinking?

      You will be surprised how lacking in understanding consumers are when it comes to computers. Companies such as Intel survive on this lack of knowledge. I once (about a year ago) worked on the floors of major electronic retailer in UK. And I was sadden by the way consumers don't care about shopping around and finding out what is available rather than just relying on adverts and marketing ploy. Once a lady walked into the store where I was working and directly asked "That 'Intel laptop' that is being shown on telly I want to buy that similar laptop". I asked her what her budget was, what she will be using the laptop for, and then showed her what options she had for that requirement and budget. But she was hell-bent on buying the laptop similar to the one "shown" in the advert. And this is not one-off, this actually is a norm! This is how big corporations milk consumers by "planting words" such as "Ultrabook" and showing them statics such as "It can process thousands of photos in just few seconds and this is 30% faster than previous processor. ". Well, people get carried away by the statements such as "30% faster", "thousands of photos", "in few seconds", "Ultrabook" etc thrown at them. So even if the laptop costs them more they will go for it!

  5. Arctic fox
    Thumb Down

    I think this issue with the ultrabooks is an example of why MS have chosen to produce.......

    ...........the "Surface" themselves. Too much of what the OEMs produce is boring, unimaginative and often way overpriced. There are of course some exceptions but they are usually in the high-end price wise and are not going to exactly contribute very much to building the mass market Intel are hoping for (Intel's own greed when it comes to their chip prices doesn't help very much either). When the customer's reaction very often is "boring" followed by "WTF! How much?!" then "mass market" does not appear to be exactly looming on the horizon.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nout good enough

    You put a stonking CPU plus probably an SSD and then it all gets let down by the cheapest crappiet display the the OEM can shove inside the case(And still making it thin)

    Who would really want one now that Apple have raised the bar so high? If Intel continue to limit the specs (like MS did with Netbooks) they'll cripple the market.

    Naturally, they have to compete with a Macbook Air and the newest MBP's but for this low a quality display these devices are greatly over priced.

    This leads me to ask the question

    Are they serious about competing with Apple in this market segment?

    IMHO, at the moment, the answer is a resounding No. That makes me sad. They can and should do better.

  7. Levente Szileszky
    FAIL

    Intel HD Graphics 4000 is still a stinking pile of crap for graphics...

    ...I will never understand why Intel is keep peddling their utterly useless PoS integrated graphics.

    Yes, it's faster than the previous one which was behind the curve by at least ~6 years last year, so this updated piece of crap (Intel HD 4000) is now only 3-4 years behind AMD's or Nvidia's mobile graphics chip performance, awesome...

    ...it is not.

    It's downright embarrassing and when you pair it with awful panels with laughable display resolutions you immediately see why most people think Ultrabooks are nothing special except another take on selling boring and crappy laptops in a thinner body - but waaaaaaay overpriced!

    In other words it's just another stupid, arrogant ripoff attempt by Intel '50% margin' Corporation - do not buy it.

  8. phen

    Where's the battery?

    I don't really care about light and thin. Someone please make a hefty beast that can run full tilt for 16 hours on a charge and recharge while I sleep. Add useable in direct sunlight and you can have all the money.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like