14 DAY TRIAL // Regardless of how unimpressive ultrabook sales have been thus far, Intel is pushing forward with their development, even going as far as to get smaller brands in on the action.
If there is one way to make a product type successful, it is to make sure that every approachable market outlet and sales channel is flooded with it.
This may be what Intel is seeking with its entire campaign of Ultrabook promotion.
While initial sales weren't good, large companies have already decided to keep trying to make them appealing.
2012 will bring some price cuts and better performance, so one could say that only then is when the notebooks will truly begin their assault.
Intel now has smaller companies in its sight and means to get manufacturers of PCs to more closely collaborate with smaller PC brands, not just big players like HP, Acer, ASUS and Dell.
Pegatron, Compal and Quanta are the ones that actually produce the mobile PCs, so the CPU leader wants them to pay more attention to ViewSonic, Epson and Motion Computing.
Some time ago, Intel said it had set aside a fund of $300 million just for Ultrabook development.
That money will reach Ultrabook companies over the next three or four years and is supposed to enable models capable of selling for $499 (€371) by 2013.
As a reminder, Ultrabooks are the name given to the new super-thin laptops that Intel and its partners hope will revitalize the notebook market.
Since tablets proved such a success, the new laptops are supposed to tip the scales, or at least balance them.
Since ultrabooks are about as thin as tablets when they are closed (they have the physical keyboard, the one big thing that tablets lack), they should pull it off, provided they finally get pertinent prices.
After all, there is no point to them if tablet owners can buy a keyboard dock and still wind up with the better deal.