(11-April-2012) While at first glance, the ultrabook category may seem like just a laptop by any other name, analysts say it offers the channel important advantages and the opportunity to close higher-value, higher-margin sales with their customers.
The ultrabook is a category of thin, light, quick-booting laptops created by processor vendor Intel Corp. largely in response to the success Apple achieved with the Macbook Air. Specifications include integrated graphics, a solid state drive (for response time), and a unibody chassis to fit a larger battery in the smaller case. Intel has devoted $300 million to a multi-year marketing campaign to help launch the category and boost slumping PC sales.