Laptops & Desktops

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AMD working on "ultrathins" alternative to Intel's Ultrabook laptop platform

By | December 9, 2011, 4:35am PST

In a move that should surprise no one, AMD is reportedly working on an Ultrabook competitor called “ultrathins” that may hit the laptop market as soon as next month (at least in Australia).

But unlike Intel, which instructed its manufacturing partners specifically on how to build their Ultrabooks, AMD is apparently giving vendors more leeway in how they build their ultrathins. The company supposedly won’t mandate particular specs, though it hopes to base the platform on a new Zacate processor and the latest Radeon 7000 graphics.

Of course, many details remain to be seen, including which manufacturers are committed to the new platform, and how much these ultrathins will cost compared to Ultrabooks. Perhaps we’ll get more information in January at CES, with maybe even a sneak peak at the new laptops.

[Via Tom's Hardware via The Australian]

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Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Laptop Computer, Intel Corp., Ultrabook, Laptop Platform, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist.

Disclosure

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist; currently, all work that Sean does is on a contractural basis. Sean has also written corporate communications documents for CA.

Sean does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy started his tech writing career at ZDNet nearly a decade ago. He then spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. He received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from the University of Southern California.

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RE: AMD working on
mad-doggie 10th Dec
would love to see AMD become a major PC store. They already have the AMD CPU, GPU, APU, and RAM... Now they just need a couple more components with their name tag on and optimise them as they have these.
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RE: AMD working on
pepe-el-Toro 9th Dec
I prefer better overall graphics performance than pure CPU power, if AMD does wise graphics/cpu performance ill go for it.
0 Votes
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AMD's got nothing to lose with this
erichon99 9th Dec
More competition to Ultrabooks will benefit consumers. Since these systems are designed for portability, CPU performance won't be driving factor as much any longer, especially when Windows 8 comes out. Maximizing GPU processes for media consumption will be more valued by basic consumers.
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Couldn't happen soon enough
joedev 9th Dec
I haven't been able to find any llano APUs in laptops with less than 14 inch screens - really annoying.

I have external monitors, I don't need to lug around a huge one attached to my laptop as well.
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RE: AMD working on
ashwinipn 9th Dec
@joedev
Same here.... The company needs to look at their supply strategy... I am sure there are lot of people waiting... but how long.. Secondly, there are actually no barebone alternatives in the market where a person can be satisfied with the hardware specs. Why shall I pay for the OSes I won't use and wipe off after purchasing.... I think this aspect of the market has prevented me over the years to purchase systems that otherwise would have been purchased.... I manage with whatever is already with me since compromise takes lot of time to get accustomed owing to my temperament.
1 Vote
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RE: AMD working on
mad-doggie 10th Dec
would love to see AMD become a major PC store. They already have the AMD CPU, GPU, APU, and RAM... Now they just need a couple more components with their name tag on and optimise them as they have these.

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