Ultrabook Challenges the Tablet
The iPad gave life to a stunted category in mobile computing: the tablet. Consumers quickly adopted the iPad. It's still early to get the final numbers on last year, however Gartner report from September forecast media tablet sales to total 63.6 million units for 2011, an increase from 17.6 million units in 2010. It doesn't seem like anything can stop the popularity of tablets, but a new category of notebook computer might just do that.
The Ultrabook, a class of laptop in the Intel family, just might pull the tablet from dominating the mobile computing category. It's thin, it's light, and it has a keyboard. An Ultrabook owes a certain credit to the Macbook Air. "Apple Macbook Air introduced the world to this new category a while ago," says Tech Analyst Jeff Kagan. "This has been a very popular and successful design. Finally the Microsoft Windows version is here and is really cranking up. In fact we can expect dozens of brand new devices will be launched at CES next week."
Like the Macbook Air, and Netbooks, the Ultrabook category has an emphasis on connectivity and lacks inputs such as a CD- or DVD-ROM, Ethernet card and the sort. The notebook typically has a USB port. The advantage over the Netbook is that an Ultrabook typically has more power and a few key features that give it a bang for your buck.
An Ultrabook offers the Intel Rapid Start Technology, which means your laptop will conserve battery in sleep mode, then return to full operational power within seconds of "turning" the power on. Smart Response Technology stores frequently used files and programs for quick access. Smart Connect Technology continually updates email, apps and social networking programs even when the system is asleep, so when you look at the program it's up to date.
"The question is will this new, small, lightweight computer eat into tablet sales? Yes, they just might," says Kagan.
There are pros and cons for both categories. The tablet is an attractive device, but the focus is very much on consumption. Aside from the iPod, which is an iOS device, most tablets are based on the Android operating system with a few devices on other software operating systems. This means if you want to do word processing, you probably will want to use Google Docs, or another cloud-based software. Tablets are great for watching video, using apps and checking social networking. But back to the word processing point, you probably aren't going to sit down with the tablet and compose more than a brief email on the soft keyboard. While people love the slick ability of the tablet, a common complaint is the lack of support for content creation, namely a keyboard or any tools for composing longer documents.
The Ultrabook has the traditional laptop form factor with a keyboard and a limited number of inputs. For now its drawback is the price tag. At $1,000 and up, most companies aren't going to outfit their workforce with these slimmed-down notebooks. It's likely the Ultrabook is, for now, the device of choice for the high-level executive. It is entirely feasible, though, that employees will bring their own Ultrabooks in to the office for work, and companies will have to deal with Wi-Fi and security issues.
Prices are likely to come down. A few months ago Intel issued a challenge to manufacturers to produce a sub-$1,000 Ultrabook. So far it's close, and it's entirely possible we'll see a few in the category meet that price at CES next week.
For now we can say the Ultrabook will eat away at the tablet market. "Tablets are great. Many love these devices. They are not going away. The question is will their growth slow as the new category heats up," says Kagan. "Based on very early numbers and excitement I would say yes. Apple iPad will remain hot. Other tablet computers have been more disappointing. They will definitely be affected by the Ultrabook."
