While petite netbooks are losing ground, the companies are now focusing on ultrabooks. As Apple is wont to do, it pioneers the
segment with its MacBook Air, but now HP is looking to challenge the hegemony of Apple MacBook Air with the launch of its new Ultrabook lineup. The new ultrabooks are aimed at business and corporate users.
HP Folio 13 comes with 13" screen space and 128 GB solid state drive. The ultrabook is fashionably thin at 18mm and weighs only 3.3 pounds. However, it does not compromise on raw power and has Core i5 processor under its hood. The ultrabook also has 4GB RAM and USB 2.0 and HDMI ports. Its 13" screen is capable of providing 1366 by 768 pixels resolution. Ultrabooks are designed to be energy efficient and thus HP Folio1e is capable of providing up to 9 hours of battery life, which is about as good as efficiency of tablets.
Since HP Folio 13 will be posing direct competition to Apple MacBook Air, it has been suitably priced. The range has base price of $900, 100 dollars cheaper than entry level 11.6 inches MacBook Air offered by Apple. Apple's mainstream 13.4 MacBook Air range starts from $1300. Thus HP ultrabook has good price point advantage over Apple. However, analysts do not expect MacBook Air to lose much market share.