This week’s IFA saw a handful of laptop makers try and rejuvenate the ailing laptop market with their new line of Ultrabooks – these are essentially Macbook Air’s running Windows; ultra thin, low-energy laptops for the high-end user with deep pockets.
Toshiba was first out of the blocks Protégé which is slated for a release of November 11. The Z830 series features a 0.63-inch profile, Intel's second-generation Core processors and DDR3 memory.
The laptop will come with Toshiba's new hi-speed start technology which means the laptop with boot in record time - and will rely on a 128GB SSD.
“The Portégé Z830 Series sets a new standard for thin and light systems, not just in portability, but also in affordability for such cutting-edge designs,” said Carl Pinto, Vice President of Product Development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division.
“Toshiba's engineering achievements and expert craftsmanship have resulted in a brilliant and fully thought-through innovation that exceeds expectations, perfect for both mobile business professionals and consumers.”
Toshiba are still remaining tight-lipped about the actual specs of its new ultrabook range. But it’s expected that they will come with a 13.3-inch screen (1366 x 768) Intel's Core i7 CPU, up to 6GB of RAM, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, an SD card slot, HDMI and VGA outputs, and Ethernet port and 802.11 b/g/n connectivity.
Their range of ultra books will be made from incredibly light and durable alloy cases reinforced with something they’re calling a “Honeycomb Rib” design. Toshiba’s new Portégé Z830 series of Ultrabooks will start at under $1,000 USD this November. Keep an eye out for additional details about the various models and their starting prices.
Acer were also on hand to show off their Aspire S3, it will start shipping this month - a full two month before Toshiba's. It will cost €799 or $1,134 the company announced at yesterday's IFA.
The new line in Ultrabooks is, in part, thanks to Intel’s attempt in rejuvenating the laptop market and this is made possible through their low-power but high-performance chips being used by a number of manufacturers.
“We always challenge each other,” said Campbell Kan, who is in charge of PC Global Operations at Acer.
Acer's attempt at an ultrabook comes in the form of their Aspire S3, which has 13.1-inch HD LED display and a choice of SSD or standard hard drives.
The same second-generation ultra low-voltage Core processors found in the Toshiba ultrabook will power the Aspire S3 too.
Consumers will be able to choose between Core i3, i5 and i7, according to Acer with the chassis and case made from an aluminum-magnesium alloy.
Acer has made efforts to improve start times when waking a computer from sleep mode as well as battery life. The device should be up and running in less than two seconds, and when in deep sleep mode the battery should last for up to 50 days, according to Kan.
One impressive thing to note with the Aspire S3 is that weighs 1.3 kilograms, which just so happens to the same weight as a MacBook Air – even more impressive is is the the same thickness as its Apple competitor – measuring a svelte 17 millimetres.
The third of today’s ultrabook’s to throw its hat into the ring is Lenovo IdeaPad U300's ultrabook
Lenovo will be offering consumers a choice of i3, i5 and i7 ultra-low voltage processors, up to 4GB of RAM and 256GB SSD hard drives - making the laptop boot within a very respectable ten seconds.
The IdeaPad is 15mm from edge-to-edge with Lenovo stating that the design is indented to look like a book. Unfortunatley we can't help but think it looks like a laptop - like it should.
Connectivity-wise you will the standard get one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 socket, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an HDMI port.
Battery life is pegged at 8 hours of use and a whopping 30 days standby time - and a new feature where the laptop with charge to 50% in as little as 30 minutes.
All of the Ultrabooks we've seen so far have a rather uniformly metal or grey look, and while in laptop terms this isn't bad, Lenovo has gone for something a little different by offering the IdeaPad in clementine orange. as well as the regular grey.
The release date if the IdeaPad U300s is scheduled for October, with UK pricing still a mystery though pricing for the US begins at $1,195.