The Ultrabook, Part 2: It's Not What You Think It Is

[Guest]

I have to admit that that the only other new product category that I have found to be more puzzling than Intel's ultrabook idea has been Origami, commonly referred to as the UMPC, half a decade ago.

The Ultrabook, Part 2: It's Not What You Think It Is : Read more

 

[Onus]

My suggestion: stop trying to invent a "solution" for which a well-defined problem does not already exist. The days of rampant consumerism, in which marketing departments can sell vast quantities of product merely by creating a perception of need or of obsolescence are coming to an end as economies melt down. Seek out dissatisfied customers, and find out exactly what needs aren't being met that is making them so unhappy. Instead of showing them what they could do, ask them what they need to do. Then create (or refine) a solution that makes economic sense.

 

[zulutech]

Man I still use Windows XP. It does everything, for me, flawlessly with some flaws. (And I find it much easier to code, and navigate the the disk than Windows 7) If only Microsoft would go back to Windows XP, and make it better, much better. That would be the day.

 

[Guest]

^They did already, it's called Windows 7.

 

[Guest]

It's a market for small and fairly functional notebooks. Look at Lenovo's smallest, Sony's X-series, the latest 11" MacBook Air and similar models. IMO the the Sony X wit an 11" screen and a weight well below 1kg is the one to beat. It has an Atom processor and deservers something better while the weight may be low enough already to compete with iPads and similar for portability.

 

[billj214]

I personally see cloud computing as the future where you can use your smart phone or tablet to access a powerful PC remotely and play games, watch Blu-ray movies etc.

And for home replacing all of your home PC's with a little inexpensive box connected to a keyboard, monitor and Cat5 cable which has the power of your desktop PC processor and graphics, you wouldn't know the difference. You could also connect one to every TV in the house for streaming media or games on the big screen.

 

[robisinho]

@billj214 - I hope cloud computing never gets past the "value added" phase, to become the primary mode of computing. I can understand offering storage, offering server-side computation, offering even game rendering like.. I cant remember the name of it but that place that gives you 1080p on a 100mbps connection so you can game on any netbook class computer... those are all fine. but where I can't store data reasonably at home because no one makes parts for the individual anymore, when I cant run modern software offline, when I can't enforce privacy in computation .. that's where things go all Malthusian.

 

[doive1231]

What about a module you could attach to these tablets and ultrabooks that would significantly increase performance such as graphics or processing at home or your normal desk/workplace. Then when you want mobility, the ultrabook/tablet would come into its own. The module would add to the CPU cores, memory, and so on. Some might say it's two computers but you could upgrade the module to keep it current.

 

[doive1231]

Or use the cloud. Ahem.

 

[billj214]

Robisinho > Yes I would prefer to have the cloud PC at my house using my hardware!

Doive1231 > Wow some good ideas! How about a slot upgrade GPU? or CPU? Or being able to connect to your Home Server for some extra CPU/GPU horsepower!

UMPC = Thin, Light, with a "Turbo Boost Pack" which can be connected when extra horsepower is needed!

 

[Silmarunya]

[citation][nom]doive1231[/nom]What about a module you could attach to these tablets and ultrabooks that would significantly increase performance such as graphics or processing at home or your normal desk/workplace. Then when you want mobility, the ultrabook/tablet would come into its own. The module would add to the CPU cores, memory, and so on. Some might say it's two computers but you could upgrade the module to keep it current.[/citation]

External GPU's have been possible for a long time. With Thunderbolt/Light Peak (PCI-E-based) it's now as easy as an e-SATA harddisk. External memory and CPU cores are hard and impossible atm respectively. External RAM's latency would be through the roof and dual CPU's are hard enough with two physical sockets already.

 

[proxy711]

[citation][nom]Silmarunya[/nom]External GPU's have been possible for a long time.[/citation]
You should be saying "External GPU's have been out for a long time" seeing as their are multiple products out there.

 

[Guest]

The solution is obvious. We need a lightweight Batman utility belt that holds all the cpu and gpu processing power, memory, and storage that syncs wirelessly to a brainless tablet. Done. Ok, maybe a belt clashes with your style so we can put into the lining of a fancy handbag or snazzy pair of shoes. Done. ok jus trying to be humorous but its not impossible.

 

[dalethepcman]

[citation][nom]Silmarunya[/nom]External GPU's have been possible for a long time. With Thunderbolt/Light Peak (PCI-E-based) it's now as easy as an e-SATA harddisk. External memory and CPU cores are hard and impossible atm respectively. External RAM's latency would be through the roof and dual CPU's are hard enough with two physical sockets already.[/citation]

Actually this would be a very simple solution. You have a tablet, that contains a low end tablet CPU and GPU with limited memory. (EEE convertible) This device is primarily for consumption and casual gaming.

You have a keyboard with a desktop class CPU, GPU, and disk drive built into it, that contains a dock for the tablet. (EEE keyboard+dock)

When the tablet is in the dock it acts as a touchscreen, displaying the information relayed from the dock, charging its battery, and Syncing its data. (The user profile would be stored on the mobile system)

 

[dalauder]

[citation][nom]dalethepcman[/nom]Actually this would be a very simple solution. You have a tablet, that contains a low end tablet CPU and GPU with limited memory. (EEE convertible) This device is primarily for consumption and casual gaming.You have a keyboard with a desktop class CPU, GPU, and disk drive built into it, that contains a dock for the tablet. (EEE keyboard+dock)When the tablet is in the dock it acts as a touchscreen, displaying the information relayed from the dock, charging its battery, and Syncing its data. (The user profile would be stored on the mobile system)[/citation]Sounds to me like a reinvention of the Commodore 64, which would be a great idea if the new one embodied the affordability of the original with all the horsepower you need (new C64 is an expensive Atom).

 

[dalauder]

Once all TVs have wireless input (3 years tops), your Desktop will be able to connect to them using your integrated wireless video adapter (5 years tops) and GPU. That'll kinda make laptops that connect to a powerful expansion pack useless. And it'll take that 3 years to develop and adopt anyways.

Instead, they just need PC versions of Macbook Air's with the functionality people need (Mac users aren't as fixated on performance)--so they must be faster than Netbooks by about 4x. This will happen whether or not we call it an Ultrabook in the next two years, so I guess the only point of this whole thing is that they're relaunching Netbooks. And they're called Ultrabooks now because the name is soiled.

There are two paths you can go by: Suprise people with your performance in something that doesn't look capable of much (smartphones) or build something with solid performance (laptop). You can't go between those until ultraportable can provide 4x Atom performance. At that point, the $500-$600 laptops will disappear and you'll get $300-$400 laptops that do everything you need (includes ultraportables) and $800 desktop replacments. But today, smartphones and functional laptops will be the only ones that are more than a fad.