WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.
HP, Lenovo, Asustek and Acer to launch second gen ultrabooks in May. Prices to drop to US$699.-
Intel, which originally planned to announce its new Ivy Bridge processors on April 29, is expected to bring forward the announcement to April 23 with Asustek computer, Acer, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard (HP) all ready to release their second-generation ultrabooks starting in May.
Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group, at Intel developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing pointed out that ultrabook prices in the next few months will drop rapidly to US$699 from US$999 currently as shipment scales become large reducing costs.
Intel, at the show, also demonstrated its developments with China-based partners for products such as chassis, panels and software, and in addition to showcasing upcoming second-generation ultrabooks, Intel also revealed its innovative designs for ultrabooks and several concept devices for Windows 8.
To promote ultrabooks, Intel has set up a fund of US$300 million to assist its partners for ultrabook design and R&D. The company is also integrating the upstream supply ecosystem to allow its partners to connect with each other.