Sent from a Blackberry! How ironic. Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 29, 2012, at 6:12 PM, [email protected] wrote: > I agree as well ultrabooks are still way to much cash and ”most” windows > users tend to resist change, ie Carys mention of the optical drive. It > reminds of the dinosaur comparisons to main frames. Windows users have become > the new dinosaurs :) imho. > Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T > From: Cary Preston <[email protected]> > Sender: [email protected] > Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:25:56 -0400 > To: [email protected]<[email protected]> > ReplyTo: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [The Unique Geek] Re: Remember ultrabooks? Yeah, no one else > does either > > I'd tend to agree. While the MacBook Air is different enough from the iPad > not to overlap too much, Microsoft has tried to make the Surface a direct > competitor to ultra thin laptops (even down to the trackpad on the keyboard). > This type of laptop isn't ready to be mainstream- they are still too pricey, > and too many Windows users aren't ready to ditch their optical drive. I still > think the category will be longer lived than netbooks. > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Oct 29, 2012, at 3:36 PM, Luke Jaconetti <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Sorry to resurrect a long dead thread, but with the launch of Windows 8, it >> seems that the manufacturers are pushing ultrabooks hard as the key form >> factor for the OS. >> >> While watching the Panthers ABSOLUTELY BLOW IT yesterday to the Bears, I >> must have seen at least a dozen ultrabook commercials. And on the Windows 8 >> commercials, an ultrabook was shown prominently at least once in each >> commercial. >> >> I don't see ultrabooks catching on. It's trying to be two things at once >> and very few things work when trying to be two things at once. I am >> reminded of the Chevy Avalanche, honestly, and we all know how that worked >> out for GM. >> >> On Tuesday, October 2, 2012 5:21:45 PM UTC-4, cwpreston wrote: >>> I guess that the non-Apple industry is hanging their hopes on Android and >>> Win8 convertible tablets. It doesn't look like anything outside of the >>> MacBook Air is selling- I've seen several MDs and patient family members >>> sporting an Air, but no one with a competing ultrabook... >>> >>> >>> http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57523672-75/remember-ultrabooks-yeah-no-one-else-does-either/ >>> >>> Remember ultrabooks? Yeah, no one else does either >>> >>> IHS iSuppli slashed its near-term forecast for the thin-and-light notebooks >>> by 53 percent, blaming high pricing and poor marketing. >>> >>> >>> 117 comments >>> Facebook144 >>> Twitter79 >>> Linked In7 >>> More >>> >>> Intel shows off an ultrabook hybrid device. >>> >>> (Credit: Brooke Crothers/CNET ) >>> Ultrabook sales are going to be pretty disappointing this year, according >>> to a report from IHS iSuppli (see its release below). And that's bad news >>> for Intel and the PC makers who use its chips. >>> >>> IHS slashed its estimates for shipments of the thin-and-light notebooks to >>> 10.3 million this year, down from its previous forecast of 22 million. More >>> than half of those shipments should come in the fourth quarter, the tech >>> research firm said, likely boosted by the introduction of Microsoft's new >>> Windows operating system. >>> >>> IHS also expects 2013 to be less rosy, with shipments totaling 44 million >>> instead of its prior view for 61 million. However, sales should continue >>> growing over the next few years, totaling about 95 million units by 2016. >>> >>> Intel has spent oodles of money marketing ultrabooks, but the effort is >>> falling flat so far. Consumers are opting for shiny new smartphones and >>> tablets instead of notebooks. And pricing hasn't yet declined enough to >>> drive widespread adoption. Ultrabooks are expected to sell at mainstream >>> prices -- around $600 -- but most still cost $1,000 or more. >>> >>> "There once was a time when everyone knew the 'Dude you're getting a Dell' >>> slogan," IHS analyst Craig Stice said in the release. "Nowadays no one can >>> remember a tag line for a new PC product, including for any single >>> ultrabook. So far, the PC industry has failed to create the kind of buzz >>> and excitement among consumers that is required to propel ultrabooks into >>> the mainstream." >>> >>> PC market growth has slowed of late as consumers, cautious about the global >>> economy, hold off on computer purchase in favor of mobile devices. Intel, >>> which has been driving the move to ultrabooks, earlier this year launched >>> its biggest marketing campaign since the Centrino WiFi chip to spur demand >>> for the products. The company and its PC customers have been counting on >>> ultrabooks to help reinvigorate PC sales, but sales so far have been >>> disappointing. >>> >>> Intel and the PC makers have said that this month's introduction of >>> Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system, which has touch features and >>> other capabilities, would help ultrabook sales. Intel, which in August >>> lowered its expectations for third-quarter revenue by about $1 billion, has >>> maintained that ultrabooks would make up about 40 percent of consumer >>> notebook sales by the end of the year. >>> >>> Today's forecast from IHS raises some fresh concerns about Intel's ability >>> to meet that guidance. The firm noted part of the reason for its lowered >>> forecast is Intel's "increasingly stringent set of definitions for >>> ultrabooks" that has caused many notebooks to be relabeled as "ultrathins." >>> >>> But IHS also noted that ultrabooks have the chance to take off in 2013 if >>> new Windows 8 devices reach the $600 to $700 level. And Intel's new >>> processor, code-named Haswell and expected in mid-2013, could also help >>> computer markets "reinvent the PC." >>> >>> "Challenges stemming from the nebulous marketing and unappealing price >>> surrounding the ultrabook can be overcome," IHS said, "paving the way for >>> shipments to rise by more than 300 percent in 2013." >>> >>> Here's the IHS iSuppli release: >>> >>> Dude, You're Not Getting an Ultrabook: 2012 Forecast is Slashed as Pricing >>> and Marketing Disappoint >>> >>> El Segundo, Calif. (Oct. 1 2012)--Amid high pricing and a lack of effective >>> marketing to draw consumer's attention away from other hot-selling mobile >>> gadgets, global ultrabook shipments are falling short of expectations in >>> 2012, prompting IHS to cut its near-term forecast for the next-generation >>> notebooks. An estimated 10.3 million ultrabooks will ship worldwide in >>> 2012, according to an IHS iSuppli Compute Platforms Topical Report from >>> information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS). This is down from the >>> previous forecast issued earlier this year of 22 million units. In the >>> newly adjusted forecast for 2012, more than half of the shipments for the >>> year are expected to come in the fourth quarter. >>> >>> Along with the revised figures for 2012, shipments have also been modified >>> for the next year, projected to rise to 44 million in 2013, down from the >>> older outlook of 61 million. >>> >>> The figure below presents the IHS forecast for ultrabook shipments in 2012 >>> and 2013. >>> >>> "There once was a time when everyone knew the 'Dude you're getting a Dell' >>> slogan. Nowadays no one can remember a tag line for a new PC product, >>> including for any single ultrabook," said Craig Stice, senior principal >>> analyst for compute platforms at IHS. "So far, the PC industry has failed >>> to create the kind of buzz and excitement among consumers that is required >>> to propel ultrabooks into the mainstream. This is especially a problem amid >>> all the hype surrounding media tablets and smartphones. When combined with >>> other factors, including prohibitively high pricing, this means that >>> ultrabook sales will not meet expectations in 2012." >>> >>> Even so, challenges stemming from the nebulous marketing and unappealing >>> price surrounding the ultrabook can be overcome, IHS predicts, paving the >>> way for shipments to rise by more than 300 percent in 2013. Growth is also >>> expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with shipments expanding >>> to 95 million units by 2016. This will drive long-term growth for devices >>> used in ultrabooks, including motion sensors. >>> >>> Ultra-priced Ultrabooks? >>> >>> Beyond the marketing shortcomings, ultrabooks need to get more systems down >>> to the $600 price range in order to hit the volume level needed to enter >>> the mainstream, down from prices at the $1,000 level now. If ultrabooks >>> using the new Windows 8operating system come close to the $600-$700 range >>> next year, while adding in an attractive new consumer feature such as >>> touchscreen, a good chance exists for strong sales in 2013. If not--and >>> ultrabooks stay at the $1,000 level--their sales will continue to struggle >>> in 2013 as they must compete against lower-priced options, such as tablets >>> and smartphones. >>> >>> "With the economy languishing, ultrabook sellers may have trouble finding >>> buyers at the current pricing, especially with fierce competition from new >>> mobile computing gadgets such as the iPhone 5, Kindle Fire HD and >>> forthcoming Microsoft Surface," Stice said. >>> >>> Another factor causing IHS to reduce the forecast is Intel's increasingly >>> stringent set of definitions for ultrabooks. Based on these designations, >>> many notebooks once called ultrabooks now are being classified as >>> "ultrathins." >>> >>> Wait 'til Next Year >>> >>> While Intel Corp. hasn't given up on ultrabooks in 2012, the microprocessor >>> giant at its Intel Developer Forum (IDF) this month turned its attention to >>> next year, when it believes that everything will come together with the >>> mid-2013 introduction of the company's new microprocessor--dubbed Haswell. >>> Intel described 2013 as a once-in-a-decade opportunity for companies to >>> reinvent the PC, with its new Haswell microprocessor catalyzing the >>> ultrabook revolution. >>> >>> Haswell, Intel's fourth-generation core microprocessor family, will offer >>> better performance with lower power consumption. Because of these >>> attributes, Haswell will serve as the main core microprocessor for >>> ultrabooks. The microprocessor will provide Intel Identity Protection >>> Technology to improve security, and will also support multiple displays and >>> high-definition 4K monitors with DisplayPort 1.2. >>> >>> New Features are Coming, but will they Spark Interest? >>> >>> Beyond the ultrathin and ultralight form factor, Intel at IDF focused on >>> new consumer-friendly features to enhance the attraction of ultrabooks. >>> >>> The focus at several briefings centered on touchscreen technology in >>> ultrabooks, in conjunction with the Windows 8 launch in October. Intel at >>> IDF claimed there are 40 ultrabook designs in progress with touchscreens. >>> >>> The company also provided a survey showing that when consumers are given a >>> choice, touch was chosen as a desired feature 80 percent of the time. >>> >>> Intel highlighted convertible form factors for ultrabooks, calling them the >>> "best of both worlds."These notebooks with detachable screens work as a >>> traditional clamshell mobile PCs, but they can also be converted into >>> tablets by pulling the screen off the keyboard. >>> >>> Other prominent new features being incorporated into the next-generation >>> ultrabooks are voice recognition;security features; multiple sensors >>> including GPS, accelerometers and gyroscopes; and hand-gesture recognition, >>> an attractive option for the gaming market. >>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Unique Geek" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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