Intel outlined its plans for a new market of computers known as Ultrabooks, which combine high performance with the thin, light design of tablets. The company's latest 2nd Generation Intel Core processors will power the new notebooks, the first of which was unveiled by Asus at the Computex trade show in Taiwan and is expected to launch in time for the year-end holidays. The processors will enable devices less than 20mm thick, and mainstream price points under USD 1,000, Intel said. Executive VP Sean Malony also outlined the Intel roadmap for Ultrabooks, starting with the processor family codenamed "Ivy Bridge," which is scheduled for availability in systems in the first half of 2012. Following "Ivy Bridge," planned 2013 products codenamed "Haswell" will change the mainstream laptop thermal design point by reducing the microprocessor power to half of today's design. For the netbook market, Intel is preparing "Cedar Trail", its first netbook platform based on 32nm technology. The product will enable ultra-thin, fanless designs with new capabilities such as Intel Rapid Start, Intel Smart Connect, Intel Wireless Display and PC Synch. In addition, the new platform is expected to enable more than 10 hours of battery life and weeks of standby. Cedar Trail will support Microsoft Windows, Google Chrome and MeeGo. In addition, Maloney showcased more than 10 tablets, running on three different operating systems, that are available today based on the latest Atom processor, the Z670. The platform already has more than 35 design wins since its launch in April. Maloney also discussed "Medfield," Intel's 32nm platform for smartphones and tablets and showcased a "Medfield" design running Android 3.0 for the first time. In production later this year, the platform will enable sub-9mm designs that weigh less than 1.5 pounds for tablet designs expected in the market in the first half of 2012. It will support a range of operating systems including Android and MeeGo.
