14 DAY TRIAL // In seeking to make ultrabook designs cheaper, laptop suppliers have been scrounging for less expensive components, and it looks like casings have become the latest topic, according to reports.
Ultrabooks being super-thin and light is all well and good, but actually achieving those qualities is harder than it sounds.
This happens because of more than the fact that display makers are having trouble actually making thin enough touchscreens (vendors seem to want touch support on ultra-thin laptops).
Simply put, Ultrabook designs are just too expensive, between Intel refusing to reduce CPU prices and the costs of everything else.
Digitimes says that Acer is seriously considering the use of something other than aluminum for the enclosure.
The company already has the Aspire S3 model showing off around the Internet, but this is, in the end, just the first of a line.
Come 2012, Acer will launch a new notebook of this sort, with a screen size of 15 inches, despite having initially aimed for a Q4, 2011 release.
This machine will have a case made of fiber glass, which would enable price reductions of US$20 (14.90 Euro) for the whole product.
It is not totally clear why Acer gave up on its fourth quarter goals (Digitimes gives “unfavorable market conditions” as the reason).
The fiber glass cases will be made by Mitac Precision Technology (MPT) and, interestingly enough, the report states that ASUS also has fiber glass ultrabooks in the pipeline (and will buy cases from MPT as well).
For those that want a reminder, ultrabooks are the response, so to speak, of notebook makers to how tablets managed to erode the market share of laptops.
They are supposed to be about as thin as slates while not giving up on the physical keyboard. Full-fledged laptop specs in an ultra-light and ultra-thin package is their primary selling asset.