Ultrabooks, Expected to Be Hot At CES, Could Be Boon for Enterprise IT
With ultrabooks poised to be the hottest computers to come out of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), analysts say the new hardware should be a boon for enterprise IT shops.
Fri, January 06, 2012
Computerworld — With ultrabooks poised to be the hottest computers to come out of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), analysts say the new hardware should be a boon for enterprise IT shops.
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Backed by Intel, all of the major PC manufacturers are expected to unveil or show off ultrabooks -- super thin and lightweight, high-end laptops. The launch of new ultrabooks is expected to be a blow to the netbook market and could even make the burgeoning tablet market stumble a bit.
However, the biggest impact could be on enterprise IT.
"The ultrabook is really about creating a new baseline for mobile computing for consumers and businesses alike," said Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT Inc. "Since ultrabooks are mostly Windows-based machines, they should actually be easier for enterprises to incorporate into existing IT management and security schemas than Apple products."
King added that ultrabooks should be far more appealing to most IT departments than the popular, consumer-oriented Apple iPad.
"The iPad laid down the challenge for what people could expect in media delivery and battery life, though at significant cost in overall system features, flexibility and performance," he said. "With ultrabooks, Intel is suggesting that users can and should have it all."
Intel is pushing hard on ultrabooks -- Intel coined and trademarked the term -- as a way to fire up the PC market and do battle with netbooks, tablets and Apple's own popular, high-end MacBook Air.
So what qualifies a laptop as an ultrabook? Intel has some stringent criteria: Ultrabooks can weigh no more than 3.1 pounds, be no more than 0.8 inches thick, and offer five to eight or more hours of battery life. They also will have flash-based storage, and use Intel's Rapid Start Technology for fast boot times.
"Ultrabooks are the answering salvo of the traditional PC industry to the Apple iPad and other tablet manufacturers," said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. "We're going to see a wide range of systems offered by every major manufacturer. While they'll each have their own twist on the system, all of them will have to adhere to the ultrabook party line by pushing their small size, long battery life, fast boot time and the fact that these systems can run the software that customers already have."
And Olds also noted that he expects ultrabooks to turn a lot of enterprise heads.
