Intel offers $100 subsidy for every Ultrabook made
Trying to tackle high price of new slimline laptop format
30 November, 2011 by IT Reviews Staff
Intel is seeking to counter criticism over the high price of its Ultrabook computers by offering OEMs and ODMs a $100 subsidy for every Ultrabook manufactured.
Intel's ultra-slim laptop spec - the PC answer to Apple's MacBook Ait - has gained a lot of attention from vendors around the globe, but the expensive Ultrabook-certified Core i5 and i7 processors have made early releases expensive. For the same price as one of these early Ultrabooks, a consumer could buy a mid-range laptop and an iPad 2.
Another reason behind the discount may be the tough competition Intel faces from ARM in the ultraportable computing market, notes thinq_ - something that is likely to intensify with the forthcoming release of Microsoft's Windows 9, which features support for ARM-based processors.
Intel has given no official confirmation of the $100 'marketing subsidy', but Digitimes claims that firms in Intel's supply chain have confirmed such a move. The $100 discount will be accompanied by a 10 per cent drop in overall price as new models hit the shelves, taking the price tag to a sub-$1000 mark - though Intel will have a fair way further to go if it wants to take Ultrabooks into the mainstream.
