Macbook Air v Ultrabooks

VS

Ultrabooks are hot in the tech world right now as CES demonstrated but which is superior the well loved Macbook Air or the new pretender to the throne - the ultrabook. Ultrabooks are ultra portable high performance laptops and there has recently been a surge in companies making them. Lenovo, Asus and Acer recently launched their own ultrabook models and they're inevitably drawing comparisons to the Macbook Air. Apple has long been the dominant force in the market of ultra thin, ultra powerful laptops but ultrabooks may suceed where other laptops have failed. They have a real chance of capturing the imagination of the public and becoming a real threat to Apple's dominance. One area where ultrabooks may have an advantage is in the price. You can pick up a high spec Ultrabook for around £600 while the cheapest Macbook Air costs around £899. They are also extremely thin at less than 21mm with some as thin as 14mm. they also start up super fast and have a long battery life.

The laptop market is worth an estimated $250 billion and Intel are keen to grab their fair share. They are so dedicated to the expansion of Ultrabooks that they have created a £180m fund that exists to improve and develop the software and hardare behind ultrabooks. Ultrabooks are made from super thin aluminium blocks much like Apple's Macbooks. It is obvious Ultrabooks are highly influenced by the design & popularity of the Macbook Air. Whether they can compete with might of Apple remains to be seen. One of Ultrabook's pulling points could be Windows 8. Microsoft have made huge progress in the development of Windows and many consumers may be more attracted to a laptop made for running windows. After all Windows is still the most widely used Operating System worldwide and people are inclined to stick with what they're used to. Overall the future for Ultrabooks looks promising. They've managed to combine great design with high performance and as long as they manage to keep the price competitive they could really be on on a winner. It is early days though as the Ultrabook platform is still in its early stages so I'm sure the designs will get better and the performance will improve. It certainly is an exciting time for the laptop market AND for consumers looking for some choice.