14 DAY TRIAL // With Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system right around the corner, it seems that touch-enabled mobile computers will reportedly become much more popular than initially estimated. The estimation is now practically doubled, from 5 percent to 10 percent.
Adding a touch screen to a 13” notebook will increase the manufacturing cost of the device by around 75 USD. When considering the same move for a 15” device, OEMs will probably spend 82 USD.
While this may not seem much, it all comes in a period when Intel is doing everything it can (but lower their own CPU and chipset prices) to lower the prices of UltraBooks and increase sales.
Laptop manufacturers don’t like decreasing margins and they prefer adding new functionalities, such as touch screens, to attract customers and increase sales and profits.
Intel would rather see OEMs dropping their prices than making the devices even more expensive, but it seems that at least ASUS and Acer are seriously planning to sell and promote more expensive touch screen devices.
Those increased bills of materials (BOM) of 75 USD and 82 USD will increase the end user price of the notebooks by 150 USD and 164 USD, respectively.
These price increases are not what Intel wants, but ASUS and Acer are estimated to sell approximately 10 percent of their notebooks with touch screens this year.
HP and Lenovo are a little bit behind these two and are already developing their own touch screen notebooks.
Only one small step is left until these touch screen notebooks will be fitted with flip lids and probably most of the mobile systems by 2015 will be convertible tablets.