Hewlett-Packard announced new Envy Ultrabooks on Wednesday,
but also a new aggressively priced thin-and-light brand of laptops called Envy
Sleekbooks, which boast starting prices that are US$150 lower than ultrabooks.
The Envy Sleekbook laptops, which have the latest chips from
Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, come with 14- and 15.6-inch screens and start
at US$599. HP's Envy Ultrabooks have the latest Intel third-generation Core
chips, come with screens of the same size as the Sleekbooks, and start at $749.
The Envy Ultrabooks and Sleekbooks are no thicker than 19.8
millimeters, and weigh from 1.8 kilograms. The thin-and-light laptops'
batteries last between seven and nine hours.
HP could not put AMD chips into its ultrabooks as the
designs are exclusive to Intel, said Dean McCarron, principal analyst at
Mercury Research. So HP built a separate laptop in Envy Sleekbooks for AMD
chips.
Ultrabooks -- a new class of thin and light laptops backed
by Intel -- come exclusively with Intel's processors and have been praised for
design but criticized for high prices that can run over $800. AMD has said
users don't need to pay a premium for ultrathin laptops, and that it wants to
enable similar designs to ultrabooks with prices starting at $500.
HP's thin laptops come as Intel and AMD release faster chips
that provide longer battery life. Intel has started shipping third-generation
Core processors, aka Ivy Bridge, while AMD will soon announce new laptop and
desktop chips code-named Trinity.
The aggressive pricing of Envy Sleekbooks could be AMD's way
to lure buyers away from the more expensive Ultrabooks, McCarron said.
"The price is a continuation of what we've seen in the
past: AMD tends to price laptops aggressively," McCarron said. "What
all of this is underscoring is the evolution of laptops. Guess what, they are
getting thinner."
There are size and weight distinctions between HP's Envy
Ultrabooks and Sleekbooks. The Ultrabooks feel lighter than the Sleekbook
laptops, though both are extremely thin and lightweight.
The Ultrabooks are also slightly thinner as HP tried to
stick to specifications set by Intel, said David Conrad, director of product
marketing at HP. Ultrabooks cannot be more than 21 millimeters thick, according
to design criteria set by Intel.
But Sleekbooks are comparable to the Ultrabooks on battery
life, which is between eight to nine hours.
The Ultrabooks also have some additional features that the
Sleekbooks don't, Conrad said. The Ultrabooks boot more quickly, have antitheft
features typically baked into Intel's latest Core processors, and can also
resume from standby more quickly.
Intel in the past has said Ivy Bridge ultrabooks will also
blend in tablet-like features such as touchscreens, but HP officials declined
comment on when such models would be introduced.
The Envy Sleekbooks come in screen sizes of 14 inches
($699.99) and 15.6 inches ($599.99), and will ship worldwide starting on May 9.
The Envy Ultrabooks come in screen sizes of 14 inches ($749.99, available on
May 9) and 15.6 inches ($799.99, available on June 20).
HP also announced additional ultrabooks for consumers and
enterprises with screen sizes between 11.6 inches and 14 inches.
HP's new Envy Spectre XT is a 13.3-inch ultrabook that is
only 14.5 mm thick and weighs only 1.4 kilos. The laptop has 128GB of storage
and a choice of Intel's third-generation Core processors. The ultrabook will
offer seven hours of battery life, and will become available in the U.S. on
June 3 starting at $999. HP declined to comment on worldwide availability.
The Spectre XT is a thinner and lighter cousin of the
Spectre 14, which was introduced earlier this year. The Spectre 14 has features
including wireless audio and NFC (near-field communication).
There is also a healthy demand for ultrabooks in enterprises
and HP is building up the product portfolio, said Scott McCammon, worldwide
product manager at HP. The company currently offers the Folio 13 ultrabook,
which started shipping last year.
HP on Wednesday also announced the top-of-the-line EliteBook
Folio 9470M ultrabook, which has a 14-inch screen and offers nine hours of
battery life. The ultrabook is priced starting at $1,149, and will ship in
October. The ultrabook is 1.6 kilos, 19 mm thick and can offer nine hours of
battery life. An optional slice battery gives the laptop 20 hours of battery
life.
By Agam Shah, IDG News
Agam Shah covers PCs, tablets, servers, chips and
semiconductors for IDG News Service. Follow Agam on Twitter at @agamsh. Agam's e-mail
address is agam_shah@idg.com
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.