Intel offering Ultrabook cash to beat Apple MacBook Air
Intel has stashed away a fund of $300 million that it is offering to invest in companies that want to use its Ultrabook form factor. The company is hoping that this will help manufacturers to take on and beat Apple’s super skinny MacBook Air.
The Ultrabook is Intel’s idea of an ultra-portable PC in a sub-notebook form factor. That is the official blurb – the practical reality is essentially ‘like the MacBook Air, only a PC’. To qualify as an Ultrabook, a PC must use Intel’s processors and fulfill a series of criteria and specifications.
The cost of Intel’s own components (around $710, according to some sources) has been a source of criticism, particularly as Intel wants Utrabooks to be less that $1000 each. This investment fund might be a way of encouraging companies to join the Ultrabook party while still being able to keep their costs down.
Whatever Intel’s motives, this could be the start of some seriously good-looking ultraportable computers hitting the market – a definite plus if you like the idea of the Air, but aren’t as keen on the ‘MacBook’ part.
Would you buy an Ultrabook? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
User comments (1)
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Darren11 August 2011
Hmm, wonder if this is because Apple may be moving away from intel in the future. I've heard rumours that Apple could be using different technology chipsets in their machines as early as next year, more specifically the A6 (which is set to be a quad-core, 64-Bit ARM processor) in the MacBook Air in the second half of 2012.
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