Initial Ultrabook Shipments to be Modest

Posted 09/06/2011 at 5:32am | by Pulkit Chandna

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There have been conflicting reports about the price of the first few manifestations of Intel’s Ultrabook concept. Doubts persist about the ability and willingness of PC vendors to sell ultra-thin and light laptops with standard voltage processors for less than $1,000, as laid out by Intel in its Ultrabook manifesto. But price is not the only concern.

According to Digitimes, first-tier notebook vendors Acer, Toshiba, Asus and Lenovo have their fair share of apprehensions about the viability of the whole concept and have decided to limit “their initial Ultrabook shipment volume to below 50,000 units for testing the water.” This is clearly well short of the level of commitment expected by Intel, which foresees Ultrabooks accounting for 40 percent of the notebook market by the end of 2012.

However, the situation is far from what one would call irredeemable as it’s perfectly normal for vendors – and even consumers – to have reservations about a new concept. Intel probably realizes this far too well to wait for these doubts to subside by themselves. It is hosting a conference on September 14 in a bid to allay some of the fears behind the vendors’ vacillation. It is likely to be Intel’s last chance to do so before Ultrabooks begin rolling out next month.