14 DAY TRIAL // When we learned that there would be $599 ultrabooks by Christmas, we thought things would settle down before some new big promise would be made on that particular market segment, but we were quite wrong.
It hasn't even been a day, and yet a report has arisen that not only confirms the so-called “promise” on Intel's part, but details what other things can be expected, from a financial standpoint.
We already know that Intel will release the Haswell series of central processing units in June. As such, we know that the first wave of Ultrabooks will debut at the same time.
Going by what we have said earlier, that $599 / 599 Euro models will arrive around the winter holidays, that would imply that ultrathin laptops covering a different price segment would come forth in the time before that.
As it turns out, there will be three categories of Haswell ultrabooks (third generation).
The first one covers the $599 – 790 / 599 – 768 Euro price point and packs an Intel Core i3 CPU, HD 5000 graphics, a 500 GB hybrid drive (HDD/SSD) and a battery that can last for eight hours. The hardware is housed inside a clamshell industrial design.
The second category is the $699 – 998 / 699 – 998 Euro segment, with both convertible and detachable designs. Here, the line between ultrabooks and tablets is blurred.
Core i5 CPUs with Intel HD 5100 graphics are paired with 128 GB SSDs and HD cameras, speakers and dual-array microphones.
Finally, there will be ultrabooks priced at $999 / 999 Euro and above. As people might be able to guess, these have Core i7 CPUs (again with HD 5100 graphics), 250 GB SSDs and, like for the middle segment, detachable and convertible options. Weight is of below 2.5 kilos / 5.51 pounds.
In all cases, 4 GB of DDR3 memory are used (or more, depending on customer preference) and WiDi is available (Intel Wireless Display technology, for Wi-Fi-based video streaming to HDTVs). Screen sizes will be of 11.6 to 15 inches.