Chances are that many of you have considered buying an Ultrabook as your new computer but were deterred by their hefty price tags. The higher-quality versions of the super-thin computers are usually nowhere near being considered in the “budget” category, so it’s no surprise that a lot of people choose to get something else, like a tablet. This holiday season, however, according to Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s PC Client Group, you might be able to get your hands on a powerful Ultrabook with prices on par with other quality laptops.
Speaking at the Intel Solutions Summit in Los Angeles, Skaugen told top manufacturers that, thanks to Intel’s upcoming Haswell chip, it’s very much a possibility to make and sell $599 Ultrabooks by this year’s holiday season. “We designed this chip from the ground up for the Ultrabook,” he said. In addition to giving manufacturers the capability to create more affordable Ultrabooks, a Haswell-based device could theoretically come with more features, including high-speed SSDs, high-res touchscreen displays, facial and voice recognition, and even a 24-hour battery life (we’re a bit skeptical of that last one). We’re guessing these $599 Ultrabooks won’t look as fancy as their more high-end counterparts (those in the $1,000 and above range), but if they include the updated features that Intel mentioned, they might be worth looking into.
A lower price tag’s sure to make those who’ve been looking to purchase an Ultrabook happy. The question is, if you’re not really looking to get an Ultrabook in particular, will the lower price entice you to get one when there’s a gamut of tablets and even cheaper laptops to choose from?
