Ultrabooks take on the mighty tablets

Usually, but not necessarily, the top trends in the tech industry get quite clear at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which marks the start of the year for most of us in techville. Last year, companies made an effort to put their best foot forward with tablets posing with striking features and slick designs. Looking at CES 2012, ultrabooks seem to be a clear winner. The reason possibly could be that PC manufactures couldn’t really make it into the tablet space with their failing Android tablets and no one could come close to Apple’s iPad. If we may say so, PC makers decided to choose what they are adept at.

Intel who isn't closely related to anything ultra-mobile, marched in with its ultrabook therapy. Tablets are increasing in number and that of the notebook market and sales are lowering. To keep the mills running, Intel showed its ‘Ultra’ concept, which will strive to bring a lighter, portable, yet faster device. Now, this wasn’t a concept in its original form, as we’ve seen the Apple Macbook Air release years ago, but the thought put in was yet commendable. Just about any laptop with sleek attire couldn’t grab itself the ultrabook title, there were measures and improvements to ensure that users get a set of right and enhanced features. This also helped push upwards the falling notebook prices.

Feature packed yet light in weight

Intel’s criteria for a notebook to become an ultrabook

• Lose those extra kilos and shed enough weight to meet the thin and sleek criteria of less than 21mm at its thickest point.
• The start-up or boot time should be as low as possible, a single digit is preferred, this can be achieved with Intel’s Rapid Start Tech or other third party solutions.
• An enhanced, prolonged battery life something between 5 to 8 hours, obviously the form factor shouldn’t compromise on the battery life.
• Security should be an essential aspect; the device must adopt security features for users and the device.
• Should run on Intel Core processors (they wouldn’t miss this one).
•  Wake up time should be as quick as possible.

From international brands, like HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Dell, to local ones, like Wipro have tested waters on the ultrabook front. Intel also plans to look forward to the increasing demand for touchscreen devices, which could further flourish on ultrabook form factors. “The thin Ultrabook notebooks are just the first step and the long-term plan for Ultrabooks is to fuse together a compact laptop with a tablet. That means in a few years, an Ultrabook will most likely be a thin, lightweight laptop with a detachable screen that can be used as a tablet,” says Sandeep Aurora, Director, Marketing, Intel, South Asia.  

So, where exactly are the ultrabooks heading? What can we expect from companies and how confident are manufacturers about the product as a whole; leave alone what they plan to craft and display on their store shelves? We asked some leading ultrabook manufactueres what they think. Here’s what tech pros at Intel, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and the newest entrant Wipro have to say.