仍舊無法搶進一線平板裝置的英特爾(Intel)想到新招──把筆記型計算機的功耗跟尺寸縮??；該公司在 2011年臺北國際計算機展(Computex Taipei)上介紹了一個新名詞”Ultrabook”，也就是外型纖薄、低功耗的筆記型計算機。

Ultrabook 是一種已經在成形的新產品，第一代產品據說厚度僅約2公分、價位在1,000美元以下，采用將在今年稍晚問世的英特爾32nm Sandy Bridge 處理器；***PC大廠華碩(AsusTek)會是推出首批Ultrabook的業者之一，該命名為UX21的系統準備在年底上市。

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即將上市的 Sandy Bridge 將是英特爾第一款結合x86處理器與繪圖處理器于單芯片的產品，兩種處理器會透過一個環狀總線(ring bus)分享高速緩存；英特爾的對手AMD也推出了類似的組件。實際上，采用整合式處理器的超薄、超低功耗筆記型計算機已經存在多年，英特爾則是期望以最新一代的、為此類設備專門打造的處理器，將那樣的概念發揮到極致。

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英特爾提出Ultrabook概念的此刻，正是蘋果(Apple)的 iPad 、摩托羅拉(Motorola)的 Xoom 、三星(Samsung)的Galaxy Tab以及RIM的Playbook等采用ARM核心處理器之平板設備當紅時期；去年，英特爾針對上網本(netbook)與平板設備推出新產品線，但到目前為止只拿到少數二線平板設備的設計案。

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Ultrabook概念除了反映英特爾在市場熱潮中落后的挫折感，同時也有與各家平板設備領導制造商下戰書的意味；為了跟上對手腳步，最近英特爾也將其目標市場重新定位，把Core與Atom系列處理器的重心都放在便攜式設備。

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根據英特爾的規劃，2012年將推出下一代采用最新22nm三閘晶體管技術的 Ivy Bridge 處理器，鎖定筆記本電腦應用；該3D晶體管將帶來省電效能的顯著提升，并支持新的芯片/系統級功能；但英特爾尚未公布該處理器細節。

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英特爾預測，到2012年底，整體消費性便攜式PC中，將有四成是Ultrabook；而實現Ultrabook的第三步，則是英特爾將在2013年推出的、采用新式微架構(microarchitecture)的第二代22nm工藝芯片Haswell；英特爾表示，該芯片將使筆記型計算機整體功耗由目前的30~40W，降低到10~20W。

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Ultrabook概念是為微軟(Microsoft)的Windows平臺與Apple的MacOS所打造，英特爾并未主動將Google的 Android 平臺也納入其中；“如果客戶有需求，我們也會考慮Android?！庇⑻貭栆苿涌蛻舳似脚_(mobile client platforms)業務總經理Erik Reid表示。

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英特爾執行副總裁馬宏升(Sean Maloney)與華碩董事長施崇棠共同展示首款華碩Ultrabook

Intel Ultrabooks attack tablet market

Rick Merritt

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Still lacking a design win in a top tier tablet, Intel is taking another approach—pushing down the power and size of notebook computers. Meet the Ultrabook, a slim, low power laptop Intel will describe this week at the Computex trade show in Taiwan.

The Ultrabook is a work in progress. Early versions will arrive in cases just 20mm thick and price points under $1,000 using versions of Intel 32nm Sandy Bridge processor later this year. AsusTek will be among the companies to ship the systems with its UX21 debuting before the end of the year.

"We are very much aligned with Intel’s vision of the Ultrabook,” Jonney Shih, chairman of Asus will say in scripted comments at an Intel keynote at Computex. "Transforming the PC into an ultra thin, ultra responsive device will change the way people interact with their PC," Shih said.

The Sandy Bridge chips, shipping later this year, will be Intel's first to put an x86 and graphics core on the same die, sharing cache memory over a ring bus. Archrival Advanced Micro Devices is sampling similar parts.

Ultrathin, low power laptops running integrated processors have been around for years. Intel aims to push the envelope on the concept with new processors dedicated to such systems.

The move comes at a time when leading tablets such as the Apple iPad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab and RIM Playbook all have adopted ARM-based chips. Intel launched a new netbook and tablet division last year, but to date it has only garnered a handful of second tier tablet design wins.

The Ultrabook concept shows both Intel's frustration at falling behind market trends and gives a gutsy "bring it on" call to leading tablet makers. Recently, Intel refocused its road map toward mobile systems for both its Core and Atom chips in an effort to catch up.

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The Ultrabook road map

In 2012, Intel will ship versions of its next-generation Ivy Bridge processors for notebooks using its recently announced 22nm process technology with tri-gate transistors. The 3-D transistors will provide significant Mips/Watt gains and sport new chip- or system-level features Intel has promised, but not yet disclosed.

By the end of 2012, as many as 40 percent of shipping consumer portable PCs will be Ultrabooks, Intel predicts.

A third step toward Ultrabooks will come in 2013 when Intel ships Haswell, a second-generation of 22nm chips using a new microarchitecture. With Haswell, Intel will shift its notebook design point from the current 30-40W operating target range down to about 10-20W.

Intel announced the road map change at its recent analyst conference, but did not specifically tie it to the Haswell designs. It day say the design shift will be as significant as the first Pentium or the low power Banias design used in its Centrino notebook platform.

Ultrabooks are designed for Microsoft Windows and Apple's MacOS. Intel is not actively working on running Google's Android on the systems. "We'll look at Android if our customers ask for it," said Erik Reid, general manager of mobile client platforms at Intel.

"We believe the changes Intel is making to its roadmaps, together with strong industry collaboration, will bring about an exciting change in personal computing over the next few years," said Sean Maloney, Intel's new general manager for China.

Maloney is introducing the Ultrabook concept in a keynote at Computex, his first public address since he suffered a stroke in 2010. He will also make the case that USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt, both emerging in PCs now, are complementary I/O technologies.

Also at Computex, Intel will show smartphone and tablet reference designs for its 32nm Medfield, a single-chip Atom-based SoC. The smartphone will run the Gingerbread version of Android and the tablet will run the Honeycomb version, still being ported to the x86.

So far, Intel has also failed to gain any tier-one design wins for Medfield. It focused most of its attention on Nokia, but the company's new chief executive dropped Medfield to embrace Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.

Intel also will show at Computex as many as ten tablet designs using Oak Trail (Z670), a two-chip Atom platform using 45nm technology. It will also talk about Cedar Trail, its next Atom-based platform for netbooks, a concept that surged then quickly peaked in the market after the Apple iPad was introduced