14 DAY TRIAL // Because of some sort of fashion sense or another, makers of portable computers really wanted ultrabooks to use all-aluminum cases, but that turned out to be a bad idea.
Not that aluminum isn't glamorous, shiny and all-around great for this sort of device, but they are really expensive.
Add to that how the hardware used in super-thin laptops didn't exactly start out as affordable and you get to today's situation: heavily-marketed devices that make the headlines almost constantly, but barely sell.
Granted, consumer interest isn't as low as it used to be, in no small part thanks to cheaper CPUs and other hardware.
Nevertheless, ultrabooks are selling for more than they should, so we are still waiting on that $699 “sweet spot.”
Exchange rates say $699 is the same as 532 Euro, but we doubt prices will be much lower than 650 Euro on the old continent. Alas.
Anyway, we might not have to wait much longer for that price to become the standard to which all ultrabooks are held.
In fact, if what Focus Taiwan says is true, we might get an even better deal: $599 / 456-550 Euro. This is owed to those pesky aluminum cases finally being set aside.
"It is likely there will be US$599 models in selected regions, but the mainstream price should fall around US$699," said Intel Taiwan's country manager Jason Chen.
Intel continues to be optimistic about the chances of ultrabooks, saying that they will account for 30 to 40% of all notebook shipments this year (2012). We'll believe that when we see it.
And now, we may as well say what sort of material will be used: fiberglass-reinforced plastic. According to Intel, it responds like metal cases in torque tests. Of course, aluminum isn't going to disappear completely. Aluminum-coated plastic will be utilized in select models and we wouldn't be surprised if PC makers promote one or two all-aluminum-case-using systems “for the fashion elite” or some such catch phrase.