Laptop manufacturers planning cheaper clones of high-priced Ultrabooks
Like the look of the new Ultrabooks, but not ready to pony up the $1,000 or more that they cost? Notebook vendors feel your pain, and are apparently ready to do something about it for you.
According to Digitimes, laptop makers are no longer waiting for Ultrabooks to reach more budget-friendly prices, and have decided to create cheaper models that mimic the design of the Intel notebook platform. Component suppliers tell the site that vendors will make adjustments -- a.k.a. cheaper parts and updated designs -- to provide lower-cost versions. That could include using AMD processors instead of new Intel Ivy Bridge ones, an opening AMD would surely love to exploit.
The good news is that the Ultrabook look is apparently appealing to the masses enough that manufacturers want to fulfill their demand. The bad news, at least for Intel, is that its mobile chip customers appear ready to position the original Ultrabooks as high-end offerings, and their knock-offs as mainstream products. We've previously reported that Intel has sunk a lot of money into marketing the Ultrabook concept, but has tried to keep its profit margins high, which may be blowing up in its face a bit if these report are accurate.
Would you buy an Ultrabook-like laptop instead of the real deal? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below.