Intel just announced the arrival of a brand new concept in computing and it is called the Ultrabook. What is an Ultrabook you might ask? Well it is much like a tablet without the keyboard. The Macbook Air is an example of an Ultrabook.

Intel has trademarked the term Ultrabook, and Asus will begin selling an Ultrabook in 2011. The Intel  Ultrabooks will differ from  the MacBook Air in that the price will be lower over time, the idea is to get very thin, affortable  en very responsive systems into the mainstream. The Ultrabook will also have days of battery life on standby. According to Intel the reason why ultraportable devices have not sold well until now is because of high prices and chips that didn’t deliver enough performance. Well if what Intel is saying is true, then this is all about to change.

The Intel Ultrabook will be under 0.8 inches thick , largely due to the development of its 2nd Generation Core processor, which will enable the thin, light designs.

Intel said that Ultrabooks based on its latest 2nd Generation Intel Core processors will be on shelves later this year.  This family of products will enable thin, light and beautiful designs that are less than 20mm (0.8 inch) thick, according to Intel.

The second series of the Ultrabooks will be based on the next generation Intel processor family , “Ivy Bridge,” and will be released in the first half of 2012.  It promises “improved power efficiency, smart visual performance, increased responsiveness and enhanced security” for the Ultrabooks, the Ivy Bridge is the first high-volume chip based on Intel’s 22 nanometer manufacturing technology.  

The third series of  Ultrabooks will have chips codenamed “Haswell” and are scheduled for release in 2013.  Haswell, , will change the mainstream laptop thermal design point by reducing the microprocessor power to half of today’s design point.

Intel estimates that by the end of 2012, 40% of the consumer laptop market will be converted to the Ultrabook.

Specs of the Ultrabook :

• Weight: Two to three pounds;
• Design: Ultra-thin,less than  0.8 inches;
• Instant-on: Like a tablet, turns on instantly from standby mode;
• Flash storage: Speedy solid-state drives or magnetic disk with ancillary flash storage;
• Fast chips: Sandy Bridge for now and next-generation  Ivy Bridge will be used later;
• Updated ports: Either Thunderbolt or USB 3.0;
• 3G/4G: built-in 3G or 4G connections will likely be offered on most Ultrabooks;
• Battery: days of battery life on standby;
• Price: just under $1000 , but prices will come down more next year.