Ultrabook coming in Q4 ... will it be a Thinkpad?

Intel has anounced that Asus, Acer and Lenovo have comitted to producing an ultrabook by Q4. Acer, Asustek, Lenovo to launch sub-US$999 ultrabooks in 4Q11, says Intel A Thinkpad ultrabook would be nice, but my guess is that it will be an Ideapad.

Bronsky

 

Hmm, ~$999 for a ThinkPad ultrabook would be amazing. I am itching for a good deal to buy an X1 but this could keep me waiting if it is indeed a ThinkPad.

 

Maybe an Edge. Most likely the E230s or whatever is replacing the E220s will fall into Ultrabook category. The E220s already meets or comes close to meeting most of the requirements Intel set out for the platform.

Most likely not an traditional Thinkpad. Considering how proud they were with getting the X1 to 21mm with minimal compromises to the values of Thinkpad, I doubt there will be a sub 20mm traditional Thinkpad under 1kUSD any time soon.

 

For anyone who want to see past opinions on the "Ultrabooks", you can read the other thread.

 

Looks like the IdeaPad U300s will be Lenovo's Ultrabook.

Another link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ideapad-essential/582714-ideapad-u300s.html#post7553285

 

ultrabooks is useless for real work.... pathetic CPU, everything all soldered to the motherboard and therefore not upgradable. For that price i would rather get an 11 inch MBA or just use the ThinkPad Tablet.

 

As lead_org has stated, unless it is Samsung's ultrabooks specs, it will only serve as a secondary computer, as a plaything. That is what my Latitude 13 is, ultra slim SFF laptop as a multimedia laptop (movies, light light gaming). For 599, an Ultrabook would have an even worse CPU, like Pentium dual core or worse, fine for normal use but useless for CAD, rendering (not that you should be doing XX things on an ultrabook).

 

1. Define "real work".
2. Why on earth are the two items you mentioned better than an Ultrabook? The MBA basically is an Ultrabook, and tablets are gimmicks.

 

The lack of upgradeability and user serviceability bothers me, but how is an ultrabook useless for real work? I wouldn't want to be doing heavy things on an ultrabook, but not all work is heavy.

 

That's a really pessimistic view of the opportunity. Some people want a secondary machine for travel that is thin and light.

 

... And there are those of us for whom this can be (and is) a primary machine, performing our "real work". You guys apparently fail to recall how vastly superior these computers are even when compared to what was on the market just a few years ago -- and people happily got a lot of things done back then too.

 

I'm quite happy with my X220i. I don't see a what an ultrabook offers me.

 

Ya ZaZ puts it right, Lenovo already offers ALOT in the thin and light segment, why would they spend all the R&D into a product that will compete with their mainstream x12x/x220 sales? They are only stealing their own sales.

Plus does the X1 and ultrabook sell that much? Dell found out with the Adamo and Adamo XPS, people did not associate Dell with high quality/luxury and it flopped, miserably. x220 is already best ultraportable for the money, why steal sales just to generate less sales, slightly more profit?

 

I'll admit to laughing a bit inside whenever people refer to the X220 as a " thin and light". It's up to 1.36" thick. Come on... That's 60% thicker than the Edge e220s, and 70% thicker than the maximum Ultrabook spec.

 

Sorry let me rephrase.... what i meant to say was:

Ultrabooks is useless for really CPU intensive work. Pathetic CPU, and everything all soldered ... and the rest of it. (i know that the Ultrabooks are just ultraportable machine that you can carry around and stuffs like that)... i was just having a morning rant, i never knew people took me seriously and actually read my posts.

The reason why i was ranting was that i just didn't see the point that Intel release this at the 1000 dollars price point for a Ultrabook which basically copies the MBA machine concept and spec. If it was 500 dollars maybe, but at 1000 dollars i don't think it is worth the trouble. Obviously, the different manufactures would try to push the price down a bit by cutting costs on different parts, then you would have a market overfilled with machines ranging in quality.

Computer companies are already congregating to ODM for their cheap consumer range laptops, now they reinvented the wheel again with this. But maybe i was thinking in a different term and probably should see the machine for what it is... a portable laptop made by every laptop brand companies based on the same design.

ThinkPad tablets are okay, no more useless than the iPad or any other android tablet that uses capacitative touch mechanism, but it is an underdog since there is not enough market exposure and understanding.

 

It's not necessarily super thin but it also houses standard voltage Sandy Bridge processors...something your Edge E220s doesn't have. It does the job of light. If they made an x220s, it would be thin and still house ULV Sandy Bridge processors. And why do you laugh at x220? It can start as low as 600 for a 12.5" ultraportable Sandy Bridge laptop, for 40 bucks you can get one of the best IPS screens for the money on the market. Also with 9 cell + slice = 20+ hours battery life.

If you need thin, buy a MBA which is probably the best priced "ultrabook" right now.

 

the X220 with a 4-cell battery is only 1.03" thick (26mm) and 2.9 lbs.   the 6- and 9-cell batteries are what add the extra 0.25" but only at the very back.

a 4-cell X220 is lighter than an E220s by 0.3 lbs. and just as thin and light as an X60s, X61s, X200s, and X201s with slim batteries.   more importantly, the X220 is as thin as the previous 's' models yet receive full-power processor options rather than being LV/ULV-only.   the E220s has no NV processor options... or IPS display.

 

A few more of these and we won't.

Seriously though, I would really love a wafer thin machine to travel with. The T420s is probably the best fit for me right now, but who knows what might happen in the next 8 weeks. I might postpone a little longer but as most of you know, once you get approval you'd better use the money.

 

-The potential battery life of the X220 is constantly paraded as a big selling point, which would be negated by getting a 4-cell. To top it off, it's not even the default battery option, so if someone wanted this "thin and light" battery option, they'd need to pay extra for less battery life.
-IPS display? I don't care, and clearly most laptop buyers don't either.
-ULV processor? If your sig is any indication, you have an X220 with the ULV chip. What compelled you to make that choice, if they're so inadequate?

 

The point is the x220 still offers a standard voltage Sandy Bridge processor, has the ability to get unreal battery life, and again has some of the best IPS screen on the market for the money. If you don't care about the screen, then stick with your E220s, but don't knock off the x220 just cause of the screen. Clearly most buyers don't care about it? Explains why almost every single x220 owner in this forum has the IPS screen or is that just plain dumb luck?

 

Exactly what does thinness have to do with utility?

 

Fortunately, i have updated my firmware, so these problems are few and far between.

I would love a wafer thin machine too... but the fact that i can't upgrade the internal parts after purchase really puts me off. But then again i could just consider it as a more powerful iPad with a keyboard and minus the touchscreen, then i would probably have no problem accepting it for what it is.

As long as the battery life is good, i can see it as a good platform for use on transit and during plane ride.

But let's see what final design that the brand name computer companies can come up with for the Ultrabook that won't be another Apple MBA lookalike. Otherwise, you might as well just get the MBA and install windows on it. But then again that is just me.

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Right now ULV X220 are not available in many countries, this is a collectible. Not everyone may like Picasso's art style, but i am sure most people wouldn't mind owning one in their house just for the sake of owning it (and reselling it in the future to make a profit).

 

Look, you guys don't need to keep apologizing for the X220. I get it... It's a fine machine. It is apparently highly recommended, and its name appears in damn near every "thin and light" thread in the "What Notebook Should I Buy?" subforum. But there are some of us who find better value elsewhere.

That may be the pricing for USA, but it's not the case in Canada where I am. Also, I wanted AES-NI on my CPU, so that negates the i3 and the base i5 CPU, thereby raising the price of entry on an X220 by a few hundred. Also, the IPS display (an option for which I have no interest) usually comes at a $150 premium. Battery options such as the slice will of course add battery life, but also add to the reason why I silently laughed at the X220 in the first place -- thickness.

With the e220s, I get to keep what I want (thin and light, can hold both an SSD and HDD, etc.), and don't need to pay extra for things which mean nothing to me (trivial gain in performance with the standard TDP CPU, added thickness, upgraded display and battery life).

Goodness... Not everyone wants what you (X220 proponents) want, nor cares about what it offers in contrast to the alternatives which are more appealing to us.

I knocked it because of the thickness -- not the screen. And I said most notebook buyers, not most X220 buyers.

 

Interesting, so people need to apologize for the X220 because some people could not afford the specification they wanted outside of USA? Interesting argument.

You seem to be well versed in the cost of upgrades on the X220, no doubt you had a hard look at it and various upgrade options on it.

 

Forgive me for leaving room for subtlety in my statement. I didn't realize some people are incapable of understanding it. Some of us up here in Canada see the virtue of determining the value of an object relative to our own needs, and not strictly relative to what else is on the market. If I see a lower-priced alternative that is fully capable of meeting my needs, I almost certainly always choose that one. If you don't see things that way, it might be because of pride, or desire to obtain some other emotional gain from it.

 

where did i say ULV was inadequate?

my point wasn't to start a battle over which system was better.   you said the E220s was thinner and lighter than the X220.   it's thinner by 4mm but heavier by 0.3 lbs when comparing similar configs.   that's all.   i don't plan to apologize for my X220 and wouldn't expect you to apologize for your E220s.   they're both excellent systems.

to answer your question, my X220 has an i5-2537M and is one of only two that i know of in the US.   i get a bit over 5 hours out of my X220 with a 4-cell, IPS, 8GB, and 160GB intel 320-series SSD.   i use it as a netbook 85% of the time and for CAD/DCC work the other 15%.   since the i5-2537M doesn't take a big hit in HD3000 graphics performance, i've been quite happy with it so far.

 

I guess there's room for debate on that one. I know you're saying that it's good that the X220 can support a full-power chip, but to then say that the e220s can't even support "NV" chips suggests that LV/ULV chips are somewhat lacking.

But whatever... Ultimately all that matters is we're happy with our machines.

 

the word i used twice was option, not adequacy.   you interpreted the rest on your own.

no room for debate there.

 

haha alright then... no point debating the suggestive powers of language...

 

It is okay if you are a fully rational purchaser when it comes to your PC needs, but does one have to slag off others because they come to a different conclusion?

 

Hey now... Looking through the thread, you appear to be the initial "Purveyor of Hyperbole" -- and I'm clearly not the only one to notice it. By contrast, I took objection with the use of one word ("thin") to describe the X220, which, relative to its peers in the "thin and light" segment, is a fair argument for me to make.