At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, ultra-thin laptops with powerful specs—widely dubbed "ultrabooks"—are the hot new thing. Their manufacturers likely hope that, unlike the hot new things of past years—including netbooks and tablets—ultrabooks will have some staying power on the marketplace, as consumers embrace thinner and lighter laptops that are nonetheless capable of delivering the sort of high-level experience demanded by both consumers and businesses. Asus, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Lenovo are just a few of the companies debuting ultrabook models here at the show. According to analysts, however, ultrabooks aren't necessarily a marketplace slam-dunk. "The prices, mostly in the $1,000 price range, are much more reasonable than they used to be for comparable PCs, but they're still not affordable for every PC buyer," Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst with Forrester, wrote in a Jan. 6 posting on her corporate blog. In a September survey her firm conducted of 5,130 online consumers, some 22 percent signaled interest in ultrabooks at that $1,000 price-point. "Not bad," she wrote, "but an indication that ultrabooks will appeal only to a certain segment of consumers, and won't replace every laptop on the shelves." But that won't stop Intel and various manufacturers from pushing ultrabooks hard throughout 2012.
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Asus Zenbook UX31
The Asus Zenbook UX31's brushed-aluminum body packs a solid-state drive (SSD), second-generation Intel Core i5 processor and the ability to quickly resume active mode.
Asus Zenbook UX21
As with the UX31, the Asus Zenbook UX21 boasts an SSD and an ultra-thin body.
Samsung Series 5
Due at the end of January, this ultrabook offers second-generation Intel Core i5 processors and six to seven hours of battery life.
HP Envy 14 Spectre
This ultrabook from HP offers integrated glass components, second-generation Intel Core processors and HP wireless audio.
Toshiba Portege Z830 Series
Toshiba's 13-inch Portege Z830 typifies ultrabooks: it weighs less than 2.5 pounds, with a thickness of 0.63 inches, and under-the-hood features such as an SSD.
Lenovo U300s
Lenovo's ultrabook entrant is 0.6 inches thick, boots in as little as 10.5 seconds (according to the manufacturer), and offers 30 days of standby time. Like many other ultrabooks, it also includes a USB 3.0 drive.
Acer Aspire S Series
Laptops in Acer's Aspire S Series measure a mere 0.51 inches thick, weigh less than three pounds and will reportedly leap back from sleep in less than two seconds.
HP Folio 13
This ultrabook boasts nine-hour battery life. In addition to more powerful specs, long battery life is another ultrabook selling point.
Tablets
Intel is pushing ultrabooks hard this year at CES, but it also has designs on the tablet industry, particularly in conjunction with Windows 8.
Netbooks
Despite the emphasis this year on all things ultrabook, netbooks—which, not too long ago, were the darlings of the PC industry—are still something of a presence on the show floor.
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At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, ultra-thin laptops with powerful specs—widely dubbed "ultrabooks"—are the hot new thing. Their manufacturers likely hope that, unlike the hot new things of past years—including netbooks and tablets—ultrabooks will have some staying power on the marketplace, as consumers embrace thinner and lighter laptops that are nonetheless capable of delivering the sort of high-level experience demanded by both consumers and businesses. Asus, Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Lenovo are just a few of the companies debuting ultrabook models here at the show. According to analysts, however, ultrabooks aren't necessarily a marketplace slam-dunk. "The prices, mostly in the $1,000 price range, are much more reasonable than they used to be for comparable PCs, but they're still not affordable for every PC buyer," Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst with Forrester, wrote in a Jan. 6 posting on her corporate blog. In a September survey her firm conducted of 5,130 online consumers, some 22 percent signaled interest in ultrabooks at that $1,000 price-point. "Not bad," she wrote, "but an indication that ultrabooks will appeal only to a certain segment of consumers, and won't replace every laptop on the shelves." But that won't stop Intel and various manufacturers from pushing ultrabooks hard throughout 2012.