ultrabooks

Future PCs threat to Apple? Yes, says Citibank analyst

Apple's "limited innovation" in tablets this year will make it vulnerable to newfangled PCs -- so says a Citibank analyst.

Yes, you heard that right, PCs. While financial analysts write lots of research notes about Apple every week, this one from Citibank analyst Glen Yeung -- sent out early in the week -- got my attention.

We believe Apple will launch an iPad Mini Retina and a thinner/lighter iPad5 (both likely sporting newer processors) in 3Q13...iPad innovation of this nature is insufficient to reverse share loss.

Whereas we see limited innovation in tablets in 2H13, … Read more

iPad to face greater challenges for market share, says analyst

The market share for Apple's 10-inch tablet will continue to shrink this year despite the debut of a fifth-generation model, predicts Citi analyst Glen Yeung.

The larger iPad has already been hurt by demand for its own smaller sibling. Following the launch of the iPad Mini in October, fourth-quarter sales of the 10-inch version dropped by 9 percent in the U.S. and by 26 percent in Japan year over year, Yeung said in an investors note released yesterday.

But the Mini wasn't the only thorn in the side of the 10-inch iPad.

Consumers gravitated toward other 7-inch … Read more

Microsoft Surface Pro versus the competition

By some standards, the Microsoft Surface Pro is the best-ever hybrid of tablet and laptop, combining a full windows 8 OS with an Intel Core i5 CPU, and a best-in-class detachable keyboard cover.

But, at over $1,100 if you include a 128GB SSD and the keyboard, it's also very expensive, especially if a slim Windows 8 touch-screen ultrabook, Atom-powered tablet, or something non-Windows-based would work for your needs.

The following is a quick survey of the major alternatives to the Surface Pro, from other Core i5 tablets to Apple's new 128GB iPad.

Windows 8/Core i5 tablets (Example: Acer Iconia W700) … Read more

NAND flash sales indicate ultrabook disappointment

Ultrabook sales sent NAND flash memory revenue down in 2012, new data from IHS iSuppli has revealed.

The company said today that revenue fell 7 percent in 2012 to $19.7 billion from $21.2 billion in 2011. Ultrabooks proved to be the culprit for the decline, according to the research firm.

"A major drag on the NAND industry was the disappointing sales of Ultrabooks, negatively impacting the flash memory prospects of cache solid state drives (SSD) used in the superthin computers," iSuppli wrote today in its research posting. "While Ultrabooks have had some success penetrating into … Read more

Dell XPS 13 ultrabook with high-res display due next week

Dell will start selling a high-resolution version of the XPS 13 ultrabook next week, the PC maker told CNET today, addressing an issue that dogs more than a few Windows 8 laptops.

The display will be upgraded to a resolution of 1,920x1,080 from the current 1,366x768 format. That roughly doubles the pixel density to just over 2 million from just a bit more than a million.

Other improvements include widening the viewing angle to 178 degrees from 80 degrees on the current 1,366x768 display, upping the brightness to 350 nits from 300 nits, and increasing the color gamut to 72 percent from 45 percent, a Dell representative said. … Read more

HP Elitebook Folio 9470m review: Touchless

Windows 8 in a business laptop: well, it needed to happen sooner or later, but in the case of the Elitebook Folio 9470m, the execution feels premature and expensive. It's a shame, because the 9470m is a direct descendent of last year's HP Folio 13 ultrabook, a device I considered at the time to be among the best in its class and recommended to everybody.

A lot has changed in a year. Thin ultrabooks have given way to touch-screen, often convertible/tablet devices. And among ultrabooks, there are tons more to choose from. Touch isn't necessary to … Read more

Microsoft blazes trail to next PC

PC makers take note. Microsoft is pioneering the next PC.

Surface Pro makes a good case as the template for the new PC for a couple of simple reasons: Microsoft put the device's electronics behind the glass, not under the keyboard, and the device uses a real processor.

Let's address the electronics first. Most of the newfangled laptops I saw at CES were convertibles. That is, the displays are not detachable because the core electronics are under the keyboard, just like your father's laptop.

And most of them were unimpressive. The mechanics necessary to flip and/or … Read more

Intel CEO: The PC is shape-shifting into a tablet

In the wake of reporting weak profits today, Intel CEO Paul Otellini couldn't repeat enough that "radical" new PC designs will subsume the tablet experience.

Here are some of Otellini's comments that suggest that Intel and its PC partners are aggressively going after the tablet market with newfangled Windows 8 devices. Most of these comments came in response to analysts' questions.

Radical transformation:

We are in the midst of a radical transformation of the computing experience with the blurring of form factors and adoption of new user interfaces. It's no longer necessary to choose between … Read more

Wrapping up computers, tablets, and hardware at CES 2013

LAS VEGAS--Computers and related hardware are rarely the top category at the annual CES, with last year being a possible exception, thanks to ultrabook hype. In 2013, we found laptops, desktops, and tablets in shorter supply than usual, with the main culprit being the October 2012 release of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system and the flood of new systems that went along with it.

The following are some of the big-picture trends and ideas we took away from the show, while a breakdown of our Best of CES nominees in this category is here.

Ultrabook DNA is everywhere Even … Read more