Ultrabook Explained

Ultrabook
Release Date:2011
Developer:Intel Corporation
Type:Laptop platform
Predecessor:Intel Centrino (2003-2010) Intel Common Building Block
Successor:Intel Evo (code name Project Athena)

Ultrabook is a marketing term, originated and trademarked by Intel, for a category of high-end laptop computers.

They were originally marketed as featuring ultra thin form factor and light weight design without compromising battery life or performance, and when the term was originated they were generally small enough compared to average laptop models to qualify as subnotebooks.

As ultrabook features became more mainstream in the mid-late 2010s, explicitly branding laptop models as ultrabooks became much less frequent. As of 2021, while Intel maintains the Ultrabook trademark,[1] it is rarely used for new models and has been superseded in Intel's own marketing by the Intel Evo branding.[2]

History

In 2011, Intel Capital press officer Jordan Balk Schaer announced a new fund to support startups working on technologies in line with the company's concept for next generation notebooks.[3] The company set aside a $300 million fund to be spent over the next three to four years in areas related to Ultrabooks.[3] Intel announced the Ultrabook concept at Computex in 2011. The Ultrabook would be a thin (less than 0.8 inches thick[4]) notebook that utilized Intel processors, and would emphasize portability and a longer battery life than other laptops[3] [4] By this marketing initiative and the associated $300 million fund, Intel hoped to influence the slumping PC market against rising competition from smartphones[5] and tablet computers,[6] which are typically powered by competing ARM-based processors.[7] Ultrabooks competed against other subnotebooks, including Apple’s MacBook Air, which has similar form specifications and was powered until 2020 by Intel CPUs, but was not advertised under the Ultrabook brand.[8] [9]

At the Intel Developer Forum in 2011, four Taiwan ODMs showed prototype Ultrabooks that used Intel's Ivy Bridge chips.[10] Intel plans to reduce power consumption of its chips for Ultrabooks, like Ivy Bridge processors, which will feature 17 W default thermal design power.[11]

At a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show, an Intel manager stated that market analysis revealed that screen size motivated some of the reluctance to switch to 13" Ultrabooks. As a result, Intel planned to ensure, through cooperation with manufacturers, a 14 or 15-inch screen on 50% of the 75 Ultrabook models that would likely come to market in 2012.[12] [13]

IHS iSuppli had originally forecast that 22 million Ultrabooks would be shipped by the end of 2012, and 61 million would be shipped in 2013. By October 2012, IHS had revised its projections down significantly, to 10 million units sold in 2012 and 44 million for 2013.[14] Most Ultrabooks were too expensive for wide adoption.[15] [16] In addition Intel's constant changing of Ultrabook specifications caused confusion among consumers; and this was compounded by OEMs that released slim/"sleek" or "Sleekbook" laptops (e.g. Hewlett-Packard Pavilion TouchSmart 15z-b000 Sleekbook, Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite) that are cheaper AMD-powered variants of their more expensive Intel-equipped Ultrabooks.[17] [18] Overall there was a shift in the market away from PCs as a whole (including Ultrabooks) and towards smartphones and tablet computers as the personal computing devices of choice.[19]

Intel banked on the release of Windows 8 as well as new form factors, such as "convertible" laptops with touchscreens and tablets with keyboard docks ("detachable"),[20] and features (accelerometers and gyroscopes for touchscreens, hand-gesture recognition) to build demand for Ultrabooks.[19] With the third generation Ultrabook specification, introduced in June 2013 alongside its new Haswell processor architecture, Intel also added the requirement for all future Ultrabooks to include touchscreens. The requirement, grounded in user experience research,[21] was intended to prevent "game-playing" and market confusion from OEMs, who had offered low-end products with touchscreens but not Ultrabooks.

Specifications

Intel required that OEMs meet certain specifications to market a laptop as an Ultrabook.[22] These requirements changed with each release of Intel's Centrino mobile platform.

Ultrabook specifications
PlatformHuron RiverChief RiverShark Bay
Release dateOctober 2011June 2012June 2013
ProcessorSandy Bridge microarchitecture
Intel Core models
CULV (17 W TDP)
Ivy Bridge microarchitecture
Intel Core models
CULV (17 W TDP)
Haswell microarchitecture
SiP (11.5 or 15 W TDP)[23]
Height (maximum)18 mm for 13.3" and smaller displays
21 mm for 14.0" and larger displays[24]
18 mm for 13.3" and smaller displays
21 mm for 14.0" and larger displays
23 mm for convertible tablets
20 mm for 13.3" and smaller displays
23 mm for 14.0" and larger displays[25]
Battery life (minimum)5 hours5 hours6 hours HD video playback
9 hours Windows 8 idle[26]
Resume from hibernation (maximum)7 seconds[27] 7 seconds 3 seconds
Storageno requirements80 MB/s transfer rate (minimum)80 MB/s transfer rate (minimum)[28]
I/Ono requirementsUSB 3.0 or ThunderboltIntel Wireless Display
touchscreen[29]
voice command
sensors/context aware (convertibles only)
Software and firmwareIntel Management Engine 7.1 (or higher)
Intel Anti-Theft Technology
Intel Identity Protection Technology
Intel Management Engine 8.0 (or higher)
Intel Anti-Theft Technology
Intel Identity Protection Technology
Anti-virus, anti-malware
Intel Anti-Theft Technology
Intel Identity Protection Technology

List of models

See main article: List of Ultrabook models.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Trademark Usage Guidelines for Ultrabook™. 2021-04-23. Intel. en. 2021-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423071908/https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/trademarks/ultrabook.html. live.
  2. Web site: Intel® Evo™ Platform Brand. 2021-04-23. Intel. en. 2021-04-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423071909/https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/devices-systems/laptops/laptop-innovation-program/evo-platform-brand-video.html. live.
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  15. Web site: Why Ultrabook Sales Have Flopped So Far. 12 July 2012. PCWorld. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006164652/http://www.pcworld.com/article/259141/why_ultrabook_sales_have_flopped_so_far.html. 6 October 2014.
  16. Web site: Intel's Ultrabook: Right Idea, Wrong Price. Ashraf Eassa. 28 October 2013. fool.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131031191153/http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/10/28/intels-ultrabook-right-idea-wrong-price.aspx. 31 October 2013.
  17. Web site: The top ultrabook alternatives you should consider. ultrabookreview.com. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221601/http://www.ultrabookreview.com/836-cheaper-ultrabook-alternatives/. 2013-12-02.
  18. Web site: Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite review - CNET. Scott Stein. 26 September 2013. CBS Interactive. CNET. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029212601/http://www.cnet.com/laptops/samsung-ativ-book-9/4505-3121_7-35796874.html. 29 October 2013.
  19. .
  20. Web site: Windows 8 spawns new mutant laptop hybrids . 2022-08-20 . 2022-08-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220820023856/https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/personalfinance/windows-8-spawns-new-mutant-laptop-hybrids/1270216/ . live .
  21. Web site: Intel Conducts Study to See if Touchscreen Laptops are wanted . 2022-02-24 . 2022-02-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220224022348/https://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/04/intel-study-touchscreen-laptops/ . live .
  22. Web site: Ultrabook Reviews. Ultrabook Reviews. Ultrabook Reviews. Ultrabook Branding Requirements. Ultrabook Reviews. https://web.archive.org/web/20131007100733/http://www.ultrabookreview.com/2796-ultrabook-definition/. 2013-10-07. live. 19 May 2012.
  23. Web site: Intel Readies Single-Chip Haswell Platform for Ultrabooks . Anton Shilov . 10 November 2011 . X-bit labs . 19 February 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120116011653/http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20111110232653_Intel_Readies_Single_Chip_Haswell_Platform_for_Ultrabooks.html . 16 January 2012 .
  24. Web site: Intel reportedly releasing reference BOM for ultrabooks . Monica Chen . Steve Shen . 5 August 2011 . Digitimes . 19 February 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130729140202/http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110804PD217.html . 29 July 2013 .
  25. Web site: Ultrabook™ Vision Realized with New 2-in-1s Based on 4th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Family. 4 June 2013. Intel Corporation. 27 November 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130919114959/http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/ultrabook/pdfs/Ultrabook_FactSheet_2013.pdf. 19 September 2013.
  26. Web site: The U is for Ultrabook: Intel's low-power, dual-core Haswell CPUs unveiled . Cunningham . Andrew . 3 June 2013 . Ars Technica . Condé Nast . 6 July 2013 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130710031927/http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/the-u-is-for-ultrabook-intels-low-power-dual-core-haswell-cpus-unveiled/ . 10 July 2013 .
  27. Web site: Ultrabooks: Laptops as Light as Air . Jason . Cross . 26 December 2011 . PCWorld . 19 February 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218013425/http://www.pcworld.com/article/246691/ultrabooks_laptops_as_light_as_air.html . 18 February 2012 .
  28. Web site: Intel's 4th Generation Haswell Ultrabook Details Revealed . Hassan . Mujtaba . 11 September 2012 . WCCF . 23 September 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120915012357/http://wccftech.com/idf-2012-intels-4th-generation-haswell-ultrabook-details-revealed/ . 15 September 2012 .
  29. Web site: Kirk Skaugen reveals why Intel made touch mandatory for Haswell Ultrabooks . Daniel . Cooper . 8 January 2013 . AOL . 13 January 2013 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130112143618/http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/kirk-skaugen-interview/ . 12 January 2013 .