Intel Ultrabook

If you are trying to get a laptop/notebook this year, you may have come across the buzz word, Intel Ultrabook. While the buzz word is not entirely new (it was announced at Computex in 2011), it has become more mainstream as OEM manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Samsung, Asus, Acer are producing more and more Ultrabook models.

So what is an Ultrabook? An Ultrabook is a set of laptop/notebook specifications set by Intel to the OEM manufacturers to follow and if they adhere to these set of specifications, their product can be classify as an Ultrabook. It is essentially a sub-category of laptop/notebook.

Personally, when I hear the term Ultrabook, I expect it to be slim and light just like the MacBook Air but for the PC market. But unfortunately this is not the case. So is the Ultrabook the PC’s answer to the MacBook Air?

I would say both yes and no. Yes in the sense of slimness and long battery life and No in the sense that Intel does not mandate the weight, so even if you Ultrabook weights 5KG but as slim as the MacBook Air, it is still considered an Ultrabook. I really hope Intel would considering putting in the weight as a specification to the Ultrabook. I think a good weight specification would be 1.8KG.

Ultrabook is in its 2nd generation now, it started from Sandy Bridge last year and we now we are in the Ivy Bridge (2012) era.

Specification of an Intel Ivy Bridge Ultrabook (From Wikipedia)

Processor
- Ivy Bridge microarchitecture
- Intel Core models
- CULV (17 W TDP)
Height (maximum)
- 18 mm for 13.3″ and smaller displays
- 21 mm for 14.0″ and larger displays
- 23 mm for convertible tablets
Battery life (minimum)
- 5 hours
Resume from hibernation (maximum)
- 7 seconds from Hibernated or Suspended State (S4)
Storage
- 80 MB/s transfer rate (minimum)
- 16 GB capacity (minimum)
Ports
- USB 3.0
Software and firmware
- Intel Management Engine 8.0 (or higher)
- Intel Anti-Theft Technology
- Intel Identity Protection Technology

If you are interested in getting an Ultrabook, here are some Ultrabook from different manufacturers that are already available/going to be available in Singapore.