Engineering:Ultrabook
 Asus Zenbook UX21 | |
| Developer | Intel Corporation |
|---|---|
| Type | Laptop platform |
| Release date | 2011 |
| Predecessor | Intel Centrino (2003-2010) Intel Common Building Block |
| Successor | Intel Evo platform (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 As of 2021, while Intel maintains the Ultrabook trademark,[1] it is rarely used for new models and has been superseded in Intel's own marketing by the Intel Evo branding.[2]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][10]
At the Intel Developer Forum in 2011, four Taiwan ODMs showed prototype Ultrabooks that used Intel's Ivy Bridge chips.[11] Intel plans to reduce power consumption of its chips for Ultrabooks, like Ivy Bridge processors, which will feature 17 W default thermal design power.[12]
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.[13][14]
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.[15] Most Ultrabooks were too expensive for wide adoption.[16][17] 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.[18][19] 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.[5][20]
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"),[21][22] and features (accelerometers and gyroscopes for touchscreens, hand-gesture recognition) to build demand for Ultrabooks.[20] 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,[23] was intended to prevent "game-playing" and market confusion from OEMs, who had offered low-end products with touchscreens but not Ultrabooks.[24]
Specifications
Intel required that manufacturers meet certain specifications to market a laptop as an Ultrabook.[25] These requirements changed with each release of Intel's Centrino mobile platform.
| Ultrabook specifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Huron River | Chief River | Shark Bay |
| Release date | October 2011 | June 2012 | June 2013 |
| Processor | Sandy 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)[26] |
| Height (maximum) | 18 mm for 13.3" and smaller displays 21 mm for 14.0" and larger displays[27] |
18 mm for 13.3" and smaller displays 21 mm for 14.0" and larger displays[27] 23 mm for convertible tablets |
20 mm for 13.3" and smaller displays 23 mm for 14.0" and larger displays[28] |
| Battery life (minimum) | 5 hours[29] | 6 hours HD video playback 9 hours Windows 8 idle[30] | |
| Resume from hibernation (maximum) | 7 seconds[29] | 3 seconds [30] | |
| Storage | no requirements | 80 MB/s transfer rate (minimum) | 80 MB/s transfer rate (minimum)[31] |
| I/O | no requirements | USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt | Intel Wireless Display[30] touchscreen[24] voice command[31] sensors/context aware (convertibles only) |
| Software and firmware | Intel Management Engine 7.1 (or higher) Intel Anti-Theft Technology[29] Intel Identity Protection Technology[29] |
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[30] |
List of models
References
- ↑ "Trademark Usage Guidelines for Ultrabook™" (in en). https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/trademarks/ultrabook.html.
- ↑ "Intel® Evo™ Platform Brand" (in en). https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/devices-systems/laptops/laptop-innovation-program/evo-platform-brand-video.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Merritt, Rick (August 10, 2011), "Intel Capital launches $300M ultrabook fund", EE Times, http://eetimes.com/electronics-news/4218699/Intel-Capital-launches--300M-ultrabook-fund, retrieved August 11, 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Burt, Jeffrey (September 20, 2011), "Intel Ultrabook Partners Look for Cut in Chip Prices", eWeek, http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Intel-Ultrabook-Partners-Look-for-Cut-in-Chip-Prices-Report-830199/, retrieved September 28, 2011.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The 8 biggest product flops of 2012", MarketWatch, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-8-biggest-product-flops-of-the-year-2012-12-28.
- ↑ "Intel Ultrabooks offer more choice, better value than MacBook Air or iPad", PC World, http://www.pcworld.com/article/252825/intel_ultrabooks_offer_more_choice_better_value_than_macbook_air_or_ipad.html.
- ↑ Bright, Peter (2011-09-06), "Ultrabook: Intel's $300 million plan to beat Apple at its own game", Ars Technica, https://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2011/09/ultrabook-intels-300-million-plan-to-beat-apple-at-its-own-game.ars, retrieved 2011-09-07.
- ↑ "Ultrabooks threaten MacBook Air", Gulf News, http://gulfnews.com/business/technology/ultrabooks-threaten-macbook-air-1.978751.
- ↑ "MacBook Air with MS Windows 7: the Ultrabook to rule them all" (review), The Verge, 2012-02-10, https://www.theverge.com/2012/2/10/2787484/macbook-air-with-windows-7-review-the-ultrabook-to-rule-them-all.
- ↑ PC Mag, https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2397811,00.asp
- ↑ Merritt, Rick (September 14, 2011), "Intel shows progress on ultrabook vision", EE Times, http://eetimes.com/electronics-news/4227333/Intel-shows-progress-on-ultrabook-vision, retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ↑ Hugosson, Jacob (September 12, 2011), Intel Ivy Bridge variable TDP detailed, NordicHardware, http://www.nordichardware.com/news/69-cpu-chipset/44146-intel-ivy-bridge-variable-tdp-detailed.html, retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ↑ Intel: 75-plus Ultrabooks coming in 2012, 50 percent of them will have 14- and 15-inch screens, Engadget, 2012-01-09, https://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/intel-75-plus-ultrabooks-coming-in-2012-50-percent-of-them-wil/.
- ↑ "CES: Intel's New Ultrabooks Line-Up" (video), Forbes (YouTube), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP6g-FoP5Ao.
- ↑ "Ultrabook Sales Underwhelm Initially", Information week, http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/ultrabook-sales-underwhelm-initially/240008326.
- ↑ "Why Ultrabook Sales Have Flopped So Far". PCWorld. 12 July 2012. http://www.pcworld.com/article/259141/why_ultrabook_sales_have_flopped_so_far.html.
- ↑ Ashraf Eassa (28 October 2013). "Intel's Ultrabook: Right Idea, Wrong Price". fool.com. http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/10/28/intels-ultrabook-right-idea-wrong-price.aspx.
- ↑ "The top ultrabook alternatives you should consider". ultrabookreview.com. http://www.ultrabookreview.com/836-cheaper-ultrabook-alternatives/.
- ↑ Scott Stein (26 September 2013). "Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite review - CNET". CNET. CBS Interactive. http://www.cnet.com/laptops/samsung-ativ-book-9/4505-3121_7-35796874.html.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Remember ultrabooks? Yeah, no one else does either, CNet News, http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57523672-75/remember-ultrabooks-yeah-no-one-else-does-either/.
- ↑ Jaroslovsky, Rich (2013-01-06), MS Windows 8's mutant spawn invade laptop market, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/windows-8s-mutant-spawn-invade-laptop-market-rich-jaroslovsky/2013/01/06/e7bd3df0-552f-11e2-89de-76c1c54b1418_story.html[|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
- ↑ "Windows 8 spawns new mutant laptop hybrids". https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/personalfinance/windows-8-spawns-new-mutant-laptop-hybrids/1270216/.
- ↑ "Intel Conducts Study to See if Touchscreen Laptops are wanted". https://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/04/intel-study-touchscreen-laptops/.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Cooper, Daniel (8 January 2013). "Kirk Skaugen reveals why Intel made touch mandatory for Haswell Ultrabooks". AOL. https://www.engadget.com/2013/01/08/kirk-skaugen-interview/.
- ↑ Ultrabook Reviews, Ultrabook Reviews. "Ultrabook Reviews". Ultrabook Branding Requirements. Ultrabook Reviews. http://www.ultrabookreview.com/2796-ultrabook-definition/.
- ↑ Anton Shilov (10 November 2011). "Intel Readies Single-Chip Haswell Platform for Ultrabooks". X-bit labs. http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20111110232653_Intel_Readies_Single_Chip_Haswell_Platform_for_Ultrabooks.html.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Monica Chen; Steve Shen (5 August 2011). "Intel reportedly releasing reference BOM for ultrabooks". Digitimes. http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110804PD217.html.
- ↑ "Ultrabook™ Vision Realized with New 2-in-1s Based on 4th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Family". Intel Corporation. 4 June 2013. http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/ultrabook/pdfs/Ultrabook_FactSheet_2013.pdf.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Cross, Jason (26 December 2011). "Ultrabooks: Laptops as Light as Air". PCWorld. http://www.pcworld.com/article/246691/ultrabooks_laptops_as_light_as_air.html.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Cunningham, Andrew (3 June 2013). "The U is for Ultrabook: Intel's low-power, dual-core Haswell CPUs unveiled". Condé Nast. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/06/the-u-is-for-ultrabook-intels-low-power-dual-core-haswell-cpus-unveiled/.
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 Mujtaba, Hassan (11 September 2012). "Intel's 4th Generation Haswell Ultrabook Details Revealed". WCCF. http://wccftech.com/idf-2012-intels-4th-generation-haswell-ultrabook-details-revealed/.
External links
- "Intel Evo", What is Intel Evo, Lenovo, https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/faqs/intel/intel-evo-platform/.
- "Ultrabook", Sponsors of tomorrow, Intel, http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/sponsors-of-tomorrow/ultrabook.html.
- "Ultrabook", Software Network, Intel, http://software.intel.com/en-us/ultrabook/.
| Preceded by Centrino |
Ultrabook 2011-2020 |
Succeeded by Intel Evo |
sv:Ultrabook
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