Posted on 14 September 2011
Mooley Eden was on stage at IDF this morning to deliver 1hr of Ultrabook presentation. Add the coverage that Ultrabooks got in the first keynote and you’re looking at about 40% of the total keynote stage time being dedicated to Ultrabooks. It’s clear where Intels marketing dollars will be going next year.
Mooley set the scene by talking about PC market growth saying that China had overtaken the US market as #1. “Emerging markets are on fire” he adds. In a market full of tablet and smartphone competition, he needed to do that.
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Posted on 14 September 2011
It’s a strange time to be showing next-generation Ultrabooks when the first gen aren’t available but there they were at the Ultrabook showcaseat IDF today.
Next generation Ultrabooks will run on Ivy Bridge, the 3rd Generation of the Core processor which will bring some power savings and, we suspect, cost reductions. None of the prototypes looked overly impressive and there’s no noticeable difference in size or weight so clearly the deal will be in the details. We do wonder how many customers will delve that deep. Brand and pricing will becoming very critical.
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Posted on 14 September 2011
So far we’ve seen 5 official Ultrabook launches but there are obviously big names missing. Dell, MSI, HP, LG and more. It’s possible though that Ultrabooks will launch from these manufacturers soon because Intel expects 9 or more devices to launch across the world by the end of the year.
This video, made at IDF today, reveals the information. Unfortunately there were no new Ultrabook products on the Ultrabook booth today although we may see something ib the technology showcase later today. Stay tuned for our reports from that after about 6pm local time here in San Francisco.
We did see some Ivy Bridge based devices but all of them were ODM samples or prototypes. A video of those will follow-up on Ultrabooknews.
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Posted on 13 September 2011
No details. No name.
Intel just showed us a tablet running Honeycomb at the main keynote of the Intel Developer Forum this morning.
All they said was that it was running on Medfield. Looks like Android is becoming the focus for Intel tablets.
We’re in the keynote now and will try and bring you more soon.
Posted on 11 September 2011
At IFA last week I took the brave step of leaving my PC at home. For someone whos job it is to create content for websites and YouTube it wasn’t something that was easy to achieve but over the last year I’ve been getting more and more comfortable with my Galaxy Tab and Nokia N8 as an unbeatable combination for when I’m mobile.
I sacrifice a bit of quality to improved battery life, speed and sharing. It worked out well and I’m doing it again next we at the Intel Developers Forum where Ben and I will be from Monday to Thursday.
You can read about my experience with the kit here. Be sure to stay tuned to Ben and myself via twitter and the site while we are at IFA too.
The quality of media created when mobile has improved a lot over the years and I’m sure that I’ll have to take steps to keep up but what I find interesting is that tablets and smartphones are leading in terms of quality. PCs just aren’t keeping up. Apps, location, sharing, always-on, cameras and mobile connectivity are often better on these mobile devices. There will always be times when I want to put my bum on a seat and work with multiple windows and multiple media sources to create higher quality content, but not when I’m on the road.
Posted on 09 September 2011
Dell, HP, Fujitsu, MSI, Samsung, Packard Bell, Sony. There are still a number of laptop manufacturers that haven’t announced Ultrabooks but at next weeks Intel Developer Forum there’s something happening that could reveal devices and add to the list.
Aside from an Ultrabook-focused keynote and a number of Ultrabook technical sessions, there’s an Ultrabook showcase that could be the perfect place to highlight new developments. We’ve seen it in previous years with netbook and MIDs and we don’t expect the Ultrabook Showcase to be any different.
There are very few industry events left this year and precious little time to be getting excitement ramped up before the Christmas sales season so if models aren’t launched by the end of this month with availability in October, it could be too late.
Posted on 05 September 2011
Lenovo gave us the U300S, Asus gave us the UX21 and UX31, Toshiba gave us the Z830 and Acer gave us the Series 3 this week at IFA. Samsung launched the Series 7 tablet too. They all have one thing in common. No, its not the word ‘Ultrabook’, it’s the word ‘tablet.’
We’ll get this weeks new Ultrabook details into the database as soon as possible but before that, let me give you my current analysis based on knowledge so far.
The tablet is truly eating into the PC space.
That’s no surprise. In the developed world, home netbooks are going to be hit first. I doubt many of the millions of netbook owners will update to another netbook. Why would they? There’s little difference today than there was 3 years ago. A dynamic, touch and app-enabled product is a much more likely choice.
It’s happening in the office space too where iPad experimentation is revealing some efficiencies.
What it means is that while Intel tries to push into the mobile space, they are also putting huge effort into re-architechting their notebook business to pick-up where the tablet can’t reach. Re-positioning is required. They’re building a second attack strategy. Or possibly a safe fall-back position.
To stay at a safe distance from Tablets requires leading edge silicon to create desktop-class power in a feature-rich laptop that does things that a $500 tablet won’t be able to do for a long long time. Graphics, wireless video, high-end connectivity, advanced security, sensors and even better battery life than tablets. Style and portability mean they become every bit as personal as the tablet. As end-users look to swap-out the low-end laptop and upgrade the desktop, it could mean a complete change to Tablet and Ultrabook for many. The total cost of ownership there is similar but the flexibility is way higher.
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Posted on 19 August 2011
Although we’ve already had two IDF (Intel Developer Forum) events this year it’s the San Francisco event starting in September that’s the highlight. It kicks off a new technology year for Intel and allows attendees to gauge what might happen in the next 12-18 months. You get to watch one of the leading technology companies in the world dance around some its leading technology. Read between the lines and you’re able to gauge a whole lot more than what the marketing reveals.
The earliest indication that you get of the marketing slant is the official keynote and session list. In years past we’ve seen ultra mobility and networks taking center stage. Last year we saw a huge push for Atom, this year the priorities look different. IDF is likely to be the springboard for Ultrabooks.
Intel will put a huge amount of money into promoting Ultrabooks and key features of Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge and advising their customers how to get the best out of the platforms. Take a look at some of the Ultrabook-related sessions that are on offer…
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