AMD Kabini, based on the new Jaguar Cores, is aimed at the ultrabook-alternative segment. Specifically the A4-5000 and A6-5200 are the quad-core parts at 15W and 25W TDP that will compete against Ivy Bridge and Haswell based Ultrabooks and ‘pro-sumer’ tablets in 2013 and 2014.  We’re expecting clock-for-clock performance with the quad-core Kabini platforms on par with (dual core) Ivy Bridge Ultrabook platforms but with a slightly better power utilization figure, especially when when the GPU is under load. However, remember that the A4-5000 is running at 1.5Ghz with no Turbo boost. Real-world performance on that part won’t be up to what we see on Ultrabooks that can sustain 2.4Ghz. Will the A6-5200 be better positioned with 2.0Ghz clock?

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The first wave of Ultrabooks brought sleek, sexy laptops to the masses. The second wave increased performance and power savings. And now, in the latter half of the second wave, and approaching the third wave, things are getting really interesting. Intel’s Ultrabook project has stimulated the creation of the most exciting laptops in recent memory. They’re calling them Ultrabook Convertibles — and I can’t wait to get one.

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Occasionally, like every business, we update our plans and predictions to make sure we’re on the right course.  We’ve just done that for the Ultrabook sector and from what we can see there’s a lot of potential in 2013 for Ultrabooks to rise to the levels of sales that netbooks had three years ago – an ecosystem that many were happy to be in.  There’s potential for more in 2014 too as the Ultrabook moves into its third generation. This will be the Ultrabook that Intel wanted to make from day one and is the only Ultrabook iteration that should be used to evaluate the segment. We’re positive that prices, performance, style, battery life, operating system and form factors will impress customers and developers to make the upgrade in 2013 and that we’ll see an impressive sales spike later in the year.

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The Wall Street Journal says that “people familiar inch with Microsoft’s plans are tipping a new line-up of Surface Tablets, including a 7-inch model.

Is the ultra mobile PC coming back or are Microsoft planning a Windows RT-based 7-inch tablet?

It’s simple. If the Windows Store grows, there’s an opportunity for some innovation in this area. But only if the Windows Store grows considerably.

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The offerings in the Ultrabook category have been growing steadily since second-gen Ivy Bridge devices started hitting the market. With this growth comes new screen sizes that deviate from the typical 13.3-inch ‘baseline’ Ultrabook. To my surprise, I’ve watched many manufacturers increasingly launch larger, not smaller, Ultrabooks. We ran a poll back in May of 2012 asking what your ideal screen size was. I was surprised to find that more of you were interested in a 14-inch Ultrabook than a more portable 11.6-inch unit. Now that the market has seeded 14-inch and even 15-inch Ultrabooks, do you still want larger Ultrabooks?

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Intel has made speed a big priority in Ultrabooks from the beginning. Instead of continuing the race-to-the-bottom that was the netbook, Intel wanted to pack premium components into sleek laptops. With the first generation, Intel made sure that every Ultrabook included Rapid Start, among other technologies, which cut resume times from something like 10-15 seconds down to 3-4 seconds. With even more performance in the second generation of Ultrabooks, Intel is now passing the threshold into ‘instant-on’ Ultrabooks.

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A 10” PC running a Core i5 CPU with 4hrs of battery life, in 2lbs of weight – that’s one amazing achievement. It’s the smallest Core-based PC you can buy and one of the lightest too. There’s no question that for road warriors, hot-deskers and those wanting one PC for everything, it’s got be near the top of the list. The reviews are  praising the WiFi performance and SSD performance, low-noise and build-quality so it seems that the Surface Pro has delivered one of the best possible all-round ultra-mobile PCs. For the consumer, it’s not your ideal tablet.

You’ll find all the specs, new videos and links to many reviews in our Surface Pro specs page.

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The Verge have just posted a very interesting and detailed hands-on with the Microsoft Surface Pro. I sent out my  Surface Pro Performance Preview late last year but this hands-on, by Tom Warren, is worth taking a close look at too because it covers more than just the internals. You can read my thoughts below or just jump to The Verge.

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