What's an Ultrabook? Now Intel touts 2-in-1 typoslabs to save PC biz The PC hasn't lost the race to mobes and fondleslabs, Intel says; far from it. It's just been waiting to be reinvented yet again, and Chipzilla is now ready with this year's flavor. "Phones and tablets have been outstanding consumption devices, but we are creation people at heart," Kirk Skaugen, senior VP of the chipmaker's …
Well that might be a little extreme, but be fair - ultrabooks have been a pretty big thing. Also, they probably are moving in the right direction with these (though I'll wait to see implementation for certain). The reason we've had specialist devices is because the existing technology has meant something that tries to be two things becomes a big compromise on both. But that is changing / has changed. People still make the criticism that two specialist devices are better than one compromise, but look at cameras in phones. Technology brought it to the point where you could have a compromise device that was good enough to please most people and left the separate cameras to the professionals, enthusiasts and those knowing in advance they'd be focusing on one particular thing. These sorts of combinings of function happen all the time once technological improvements enable them. Compromise isn't a dirty word - convenience is a selling point all of its own.
And we've reached that point with hybrids too, imo. I'm typing this on a Surface RT. I don't recommend it to everyone but it functions pretty well as a tablet, has full browser and runs MS Office. It hasn't made my laptop completely redundant but that's because sometimes I need to review code or do database work whilst travelling and you can't run a VM on RT! :D But for all my work travelling, emails, word documents and spreadsheets, it's fine. Having a larger laptop is better if I'm going to be working from one place all day so if I'm going to be working from a customer site for a few days I'll take it. But the convenience of the Surface means I'll have it with me in all sorts of scenarios I wouldn't take the heavier laptop. And it also means I don't have to take a tablet anywhere with me, either.
Intel are taking this to the next logical step. Hybrids now work and are useful. Intel look like they're going to be making them more powerful and eating even further into the laptop Use Space. It's sensible for them. AMD are at least a generation behind Intel in terms of chip power, but they have stolen a march in getting ahead with the combined GPU/CPU. If you want power, you go Intel. But I'll actually recommend AMD to most people because cost-performance is better and you don't need a separate card unless you're a gamer. It's yet another case of technology enabling a jack of all trades to become good enough for most people. So Intel need to leverage the advantage that they do have - which is they have much more powerful chips. And the only way to do that, is to expand people's needs upwards and powerful hybrids are a good way of doing that which will benefit all of us.
I will miss ethernet ports, though. :(
Fantastic little beast. Eleven hours of battery between the "tablet" battery and the keyboard battery. SSD drive, Haswell chip. Best little lapper I've ever used.
Wish they would stick more than 2 USB ports on them though - until "wireless everything" becomes reality, I'm still missing my 7-USB ports from my 8-pound Dell monster from a few years ago. But I don't miss the sore shoulder from carrying the shoulder bag through airports, or having to find an electrical outlet after 40-minutes of use.
...my laptop and/or tablet "shell" with a slot for docking my (full desktop OS) smartphone, simultaneously charging it and letting me get work done. It's being experimented with - 1 example, sans "phone":
http://www.cnx-software.com/2014/01/19/ice-xpc-modular-x86-computer-is-as-small-as-a-smartphone-crowdfunding/
I like this concept a lot - if only it had a touch screen and mobi hardware incorporated into the design. SOON.
"business prices"
The Dell business E6410 laptops were reaching the PC refurbishers after about 3 years. Kit that had cost near enough £2K new in 2011 - was refurbished for sale at £200+. It would appear some businesses dispose of their kit once it approaches the end of its Dell extended warranty period. Presumably 3 years is their accounting write-off too.
My experience is that Dell domestic laptops break physically within 3 years - but their commercial lines are much more solid.
Windows is still the weak link in all of this. In the mobile space its still too clunky and poor performing to compete with Android and OSX. It doesn't matter that the new processors are 3 times faster than ARM. You need that speed just to make Windows usable!
So all of this Intel effort is wasted until Microsoft fix up. Sticking another new touchscreen skin over Windows 7 and calling it Windows 9 wont do it. It will only sell to the niche that absolutely need full Windows, not to the masses.
P.S this is coming from a Windows man through and through. I don't own any Apple products but I use a Macbook every now and then and enjoy it.
Clunky, benchmarks don't stop it from being clunky compared to the others. Maybe I should rephrase my comment to emphasis this and the usability aspects. That still makes Windows the weak link to intels efforts. It means those Macbooks and Android tablets are going to keep flying of the shelves and the Windows devices will stay niche to those that absolutely need them.
Intel's attempt to artificially segment the market in order to preserve higher margins on certain chips is really hurting the market and shows how important real competition is.
Those of us that use notebooks will always want them lighter and with better battery life. I'm pretty meh about wireless docking – cables add security – but I would like to see a docking standard so I can use anybody's desk and not worry about whether my model (not just make) of notebook will fit the docking station.
Notebooks with detachable keyboards that can work as tablets are pretty good. But, again, the price has to be right. I think Apple still has the edge with developers with the Air. Rather than an Apple Watch I'd like to see Apple's take on bridging the tablet / notebook divide. But until they decided it's worth doing I think the small Air does a great job in combining portability and power.
@P0l0nium
Yes, I did think it through but I admit it might be slightly misleading: Intel is artificially segmenting the notebook market; Apple isn't as you can't get a cheap Apple notebook. That doesn't mean it won't do something like an I-Pad Pro or a MacBook Air with a detachable keyboard or find some other way to bridge the categories. It's already downsized the tablet and upsized the phone to satisfy market demand.
Anyone on this forum happy to buy a Win8 Laptop?
Are Intel actually hoping to beat the current trend to abandon PCs for cheaper devices by selling an more expensive machine with an unwanted OS, that is soon to be replaced?
How long do you think it will take Intel's management to sober up and realise the scale of their mistake?
Here! As soon as the Helix-B goes on (pre)order that will be my next private one. Had an A model as a test device when it came out. Liked most stuff but the pre-Haswell CPU wasn't up to what I really wanted. For a while it looked like I had to bite the sour apple and buy a NTrig unit to get what I want but the both HP (Haswell based) and Lenovo (Broadwell based) WACOM units. The Broadwell unit in the Helix-B fits my usage profile (mainly Tablet PC/Pen only) better
Except then you forget to put it on the mat and come back to find it dead. I had a Logitech wireless mouse and I gave it away before the paint wore off which with Logitech is a very short time. When they make a mouse that works like a Roomba then maybe I'd be interested.
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