Intel Ultrabook Campaign To Be Company's Biggest Ad Blitz In 8 Years

LAS VEGAS -- Intel Corp. says it is betting big on its "ultrabook" concept with its largest advertising campaign since 2003.

The campaign to push the new thinner and lighter notebook computers will start in April, says Kevin Sellers, Intel's head of advertising. Sellers didn't say how much Intel Corp. would spend on the ads and other initiatives. He spoke to the press on Monday, ahead of the opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Intel hasn't planned a launch this big since the company introduced Centrino chips for Wi-fi-capable laptops eight years ago.

Though it chiefly makes processors, Intel often prods PC makers to build their products in certain ways. The "ultrabooks" are similar to Apple's MacBook Air, which launched three years ago. PC makers have responded well to the ultrabook idea, and Intel says there are 75 models on the way. The Consumer Electronics Association expects 30 to 50 ultrabook models to be on display at CES.

More news is expected out of Intel on Tuesday, when CEO Paul Otellini speaks at the show. Intel watchers expect that the news will have something to do with the company's long-standing ambition to get its chips into smartphones.

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Comments

[Cael]

11:36 AM on 01/10/2012

I like the idea of these ultrabooks but they are a rip off.

They are less powerful then a real laptop, crappier video cards, less memory, less storage yet they are equal or more expensive to the cost of the laptop, why? because they are thin and light.

They are not more expensive to make, in fact they are probably cheaper to make.

Some are going to be on par with Tablets, so basically they are a tablet with a keyboard attached but are they going to be priced as such? Nope, they will be $900+

[Martin Houde]

12:02 PM on 01/10/2012

I own the latest MacBook Air, launched last July, with the latest i7 Intel processor. What really sets it apart is the Solid State Disk : no moving parts, instant memory reach. That increases performance for many things. It has the performance of late 2010 high-end Macbook Pros.

To be fair, the Macbook Pro itself is quite thin. However, when one looks at PC laptops (I own one too), they are much bigger and clunkier. My thin Macbook Air is more solid than my 3-year old Dell Studio laptop, which casing is falling in pieces. It is also a lot lighter, something that is good when you have long walks with the computer bag on your shoulder. Believe me, the difference is a large one.

They are more expensive to make : smaller is harder.

[Cael]

12:26 PM on 01/10/2012

I actually have a hard time believing they cost more to make, I would have to see a breakdown on the costs.

but the portability of these is what I like, not having so many moving parts found in a disk drive or hard drive.

[Martin Houde]

12:03 PM on 01/10/2012

And by the way, they are much more powerful than a tablet, and even for the macbook Air, not entirely reliant on the Apple (or Android) Store.

[Cael]

12:24 PM on 01/10/2012

Some of the new ultrabooks they are creating are using the new processor chip that is going into tablets, not the i5--i7 line that we see today. The ultrabooks that are on the market now are not going to be like these ones. Most of the ultrabooks are still using harddrives but these will be flash based storage, maybe only 64-128 gig.

I think these could be great if they price them more reasonable.

[whitewater2]

11:07 AM on 01/10/2012

Did anyone catch their presenation of their gaming laptop? They were caught faking the presentation with a video instead of live playing with the joystick in their hand as if they were lol

[CERDA]

10:39 AM on 01/10/2012

YAY! new ultrabook!