It’s certainly not very Zen, but AnandTech has pried open ASUS’ 11.6-inch ultrabook to see exactly what makes it all tick. The Zenbook’s innards are all tightly packed together inside the oh-so-thin casing, with the UX21′s slim-line cooler covering both of the Intel Core i7-2677M processors. The 128GB model has been given an ADATA SDD, while the bigger 256GB version runs on SanDisk storage, with the WiFi card contorted to squeeze inside the aluminum alloy body. ASUS has extended its design sensibilities outside of the tightly-packed casing, with the Microsoft serial number and certificate transplanted to the power unit, which leaves the Zenbook’s slick design lines and finish peacefully untainted. Those desperate for more details on the rig’s workings and accessories can find inner calm at the link below.
Netbooks might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, when you’re targeting a market that has poor access to any form of computing device, netbooks are a good balance between the practicality of a larger laptop and achieving the lowest possible manufacturing cost. Add a free (as in freedom and beer) operating system into the mix which has been tested and tweaked for the hardware and what do you come up with? The Vodafone Webbook.
The specs for this machine aren’t going to blow you away. It’s a standard 10.1″ netbook form factor weighing in at a feathery 2.14 lb (0.97 kg), including the 2200 mAh battery. With a mere 512MB of DDR2 RAM and 4GB of flash storage, users of the Webbook won’t be running any intensive applications or storing their entire family photo album. Assuming that Unity 2D is the default desktop shell being used, RAM consumption by the operating system should be low enough to allow common preloaded software such as LibreOffice (the fork of OpenOffice.org which ships with 11.10) and Firefox to be run relatively smoothly. No specific tweaks were made to improve performance or battery life, with the primary modification being the addition of content relevant to the market.
Most of the hardware specs are reminiscent of the original ASUS Eee PC. The most interesting hardware feature for the Webbook is its processor. In order to cut costs and power consumption, Vodafone went with an 800 MHz Freescale iMX515 (based on the ARM Cortex-A8), making this netbook the first to ship with a mainstream Linux distribution compiled for the ARM architecture, rather than x86.
“Ubuntu’s founding principle is to remove the barriers of access to computing for everyone,” said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, the primary commercial backer of Ubuntu.
The base unit will cost 1499 ZAR (~190 USD). Adding a prepaid SIM and modem with 100 MB of data per month for 12 months will increase the cost to 1899 ZAR (~240 USD). There are also contract options.
Given that storage components account for 10 to 15-percent of an ultrabook’s total cost, unnamed sources from “ultrabook players” are reporting that manufacturers will likely ditch pricey high-capacity SDDs and rely on hybrid storage solutions for future ultrabook models. This is expected to help reduce costs while also fulfilling Intel’s goal of a sub-$1000 pricetag and retaining high storage capacities.
The news follows reports that ultrabook manufacturers will start using fiberglass frames instead of aluminum which will also help keep production costs low. Because manufacturers aren’t getting a subsidy on Intel processors, they’re looking at other avenues of reducing the overall cost without sacrificing critical components.
The new ultrabook form factor requires storage to be smaller than a standard 9.5-mm hard drive while also having the ability boot into the operating system within 8 to 45 seconds. With those two factors in mind, manufacturers want to use a hybrid solution in future models, as they have a lower cost than standard high-capacity SSDs while also meeting Intel’s fast boot time and storage efficiency.
As seen weeks ago, Acer launched its Aspire S3 series ultrabook using a combination of an HDD and an SSD in a stick form factor, throwing the operating system on the 20 GB SSD portion while leaving the 320 GB portion open for consumers. Other ultrabook manufacturers are possibly looking to do the same, sources claim, but consumers won’t see hybrid solutions until future waves of ultrabooks arrive in 2012 or later. In the meantime, the initial wave will focus primarily on SSDs as seen with the Asus Zenbooks and the Lenovo IdeaPad U300.
Hot on the heels of Acer’s S3 pricing and availability announcement, Asus CEO Jonney Shih has taken the stage in NYC to reveal details of its newly-named Zenbook UX21 and UX31. The new name is supposed to be indicative of the “peace of mind” and “balance of elegance and power” provided by the machine; however, a new name doesn’t mean a new design or product. The 11.6- and 13.3-inch Zenbooks are identical to the ones at IFA and IDF — the aluminum chassis measures .11 to .71-inches in thickness, weighs 2.9 pounds (the 11.6 weighs 2.4), the lid has an interesting halo effect, and the machine resumes from sleep in two seconds.
But, of course, the big news is the pricing announcement. The Core i5-powered, 11.6-inch UX21 with a 128GB SSD will ring up at $999, while the 13.3-inch UX31 with a Core i5-2557M processor and same 128GB drive will hit at $1,099. (The entry-level Acer S3 comes in at $100 cheaper because of its hard drive and SSD combo.)
Those are inching into MacBook Air pricing territory, and considering the Zenbooks don’t have backlit keyboards it’s going to be a tough sell. Check out the full list of all the configurations and their prices after the break. All systems will hit tomorrow — beating Acer to market by just four days.
So, will you actually prefer a MacBook Air wannabe loaded with Windows 7, or a real MacBook Air?
And the Ultrabooks have arrived! We just got word that the Acer Aspire S3 landed on our shores and are already available in stores, and they’re also available in the US and Canada this week for $899 — making it the first pinch-thin, MacBook Air competitor to hit the market, landing ahead of competing models from Toshiba, Lenovo and ASUS. Retail stores in Malaysia are also stocking them, and are available at an RRP of RM 2,599.
To recap, this 2.98-pound aluminum beaut has a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) panel, is rated for six hours (or 50 standby days!) of battery life and promises to wake from sleep in a mere two seconds. For the money, you’ll get an ultra-low voltage Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 20GB of solid-state storage combined with a 320GB HDD. No word yet on how many additional configs will be available, though Acer did confirm that this $899 version will be followed by models with Core i3 and i7 processors and beefier storage capacity.
Industry sources report that Acer plans to launch a 15-inch ultrabook in early 2012 built with a fiberglass chassis manufactured by Mitac Precision Technology. Acer was originally scheduled to ship the ultrabook in Q4 2011, but reportedly chose to stall its release due to “unfavorable market conditions.”
Asus, Acer and other companies have complained for months about the cost of manufacturing Intel’s proposed new form factor while keeping the consumer price tag at the projected sub-$1000 point. The biggest obstacle they face thus far is the price of Intel’s processors, but so far the company hasn’t offered any kind of subsidy.
According to sources, the price of a fiberglass chassis will be $5 to $10 less expensive than those built using aluminum alloy, and will supposedly knock $20 off the cost of manufacturing the entire ultrabook. Fiberglass will also make the ultrabooks more lightweight than using aluminum. Sources said Acer plans to outsource these fiberglass ultrabooks to Compal Electronics.
In related news, Asus is also expected to use fiberglass cases from the same supplier for future ultrabook models. Currently the company is slated to officially introduce the aluminum-based UX21 and UX31 at a big event next week in New York City. Notebook Italia reports that these will be called “Zenbooks” based on the name provided in the title of the information request form on the ASUS UX countdown site. Since that report, the information request form has been removed.
Despite all the reports and rumors about how one device will kill off another device, there’s one constant we’ve seen thus far: smartphones, netbooks, notebooks, tablets and desktops have seemingly worked out their differences and are coexisting together. Sure tablets are the big craze for now because Apple (once again) came up with something innovative, and manufacturers are seemingly trying to cash in on Apple’s success. But all of these form factors have a primary focus and an audience that will always come calling.
Of course one of the latest fears is that the dazzling new tablet form factor may be eclipsed by this new thing called an ultrabook. It will be powerful, slim and supposedly cost under a grand. Asustek Computer CEO Jerry Shen, whose company already has a few Android tablets on the market and an ultrabook on the way, is resaauring pessimists (aka market watchers) that both form factors will coexist on the market, that one won’t be a threat to the other… before the launch of Windows 8, that is.
Right now Asus is gearing up to launch its Eee Pad Transformer 2 which will sport a quad-core SoC and Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich.” However Shen said that Asus is still having difficulty bringing the retail price of its ultrabook down below Intel’s suggested $1000 price point. The company reportedly won’t achieve this price goal until Ivy Bridge CPUs become available in the first half of 2012. Ivy Bridge will also reportedly enable ultrabooks with 13.3-inch displays to sport a hefty resolution of 2560 x 1440, or rather, “retina quality.”
In related ultrabook news, Taiwan-based supply chain makers claim that — despite the uncertainty of its Personal Systems Group — HP will release an ultrabook by the end of the year, followed by Dell with its own ultrabook offering sometime in Q1 2012. Sources state that Taiwan-based Quanta Computer has already started ODM production of HP’s ultrabook whereas Wistron is currently designing a 14-inch model for Dell which will be unveiled at CES 2012 in January 2012.
Sources are also stating that Wistron is the ODM for Acer’s 13.3-inch Aspire S3, and Compal Electronics is working on Acer’s 15-inch version in addition to Lenovo’s IdeaPad U300. Pegatron Technology is reportedly manufacturing the 11.6-inch UX21 and the 13-inch UX31 for Asus.
Sounds like it’s going to be a busy six months. Nah, I’d rather wait for a MacBook Air with USB3.0 port.
In speaking with X-bit labs, John Taylor, the director of client product marketing and software at AMD, indicated that Intel’s ultrabook initiative won’t be an imminent success. Despite its high expectations, the rival company will likely have a hard time competing in a mobile market dominated by Apple’s super-slim and super-powerful MacBook series.
“We have to wait and see when the actual thing comes to market and when Windows 8 comes to market and how does the final product [ultrabook hardware and Windows 8 software] look like as a $1000/€1000 type device,” he said. “And how will it compete against already successful Apple MacBook Air. [...] The $1000+/€1000+ PC market is completely dominated by Apple.”
He also pointed out that many of the promised features in the upcoming ultrabook form factor are based on Windows 8. Eventually those seemingly exclusive features will migrate beyond ultrabooks and into mainstream systems.
“Windows 8 brings a number of capabilities that Intel would seem to be collecting under the banner of ultrabook,” he added. “As well, there are a few things that they are doing with higher-end components that they are looking at that enable faster wake and sleep and this type of capabilities [in Windows 8].”
Obviously AMD isn’t taking an ultrabook-like route to address the highly-responsive and highly-portable sub-$1000 laptop market. Instead, it’s taking the silicon route.
“We have been on the market with our ultra-thin strategy for some time,” he said. “We have always believed there was a sweet spot in the market: the extreme sort of portability with beautiful aesthetic and very thin designs. […] We have Llano silicon solution today that delivers as good or better battery life than Intel and better all around visual experience. […] The Brazos platform [for low-cost systems] has been a runaway success for AMD.”
He wouldn’t go into any specifics about the upcoming “Trinity” APU, only stating that it’s a “step up” in x86 performance, graphics performance and in some areas around video.
“I don’t want to get too specific about our 2012 roadmaps, but we have two different types of APUs that we can bring to that ultra-thin market as we move forward to their introduction next year,” he said.
Today marked the unveiling of the first Ultrabook ultraportable laptop in the market by Acer. The Aspire S3 Ultrabook is a milestone in the history of Acer’s notebook development. The Ultrabook’s sleek Macbook Air-esque Magnesium-Aluminum body makes for a beautiful piece of gadgetry, packed with the latest Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and optional SSD drive, the S3 is no slouch when it comes to performance. The Acer Aspire S3 will be available from October 10th and will retail at RM2,599 for the Core i5 + 320GB HDD and RM3,999 for the Core i7 + 240GB SSD.
The Ultrabooks are coming, and it looks like ASUS’ first foray into thin and light computing will officially arrive on October 11th in New York. According to a UX series landing page, we need only wait 15 more days before getting our hands the ASUS UX21 and its larger, but still svelte sibling, the UX31, once again. So, are you excited for the arrival of these ultrabooks? One thing for sure, they won’t be launching together with Windows 8.
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