Ultrabooks took centre stage at the Intel Developers Forum. From models just about to enter the market, to pre-production examples of Ivy Bridge units, the ultra-thin, ultra-powerful devices were everywhere to be seen. [Fresh from Intel IDF at San Fransisco, words and photos by Nic Healey].
Ultrabooks are an important keystone to Intel's strategy for the next few years, and IDF was the place to see them.
On display were a number of pre-production Ultrabooks running on Ivy Bridge.
Ivy Bridge is the 22nm version of the currently available Sandy Bridge architecture.
Ivy Bridge is more than just a "tick" for Intel - while it is a die shrunk version, it has a number of benefits.
Key amongst these are the benefits to energy efficiency via Intel's tri-gate transistor technology, an important element for the success of the Ultrabook.
Ivy Bridge is also designed to provide a 20% CPU power boost and 60% increase in integrated graphics performance over Sandy Bridge.
The first Ultrabooks running on the Ivy Bridge platform may be available as early as April 2012.
The Ultrabook was a cornerstone of the IDF keynote speech delivered by Intel VP Mooly Eden...
... and it certainly generated a lot of media attention.
Also on display were a number of Sandy Bridge Ultrabooks either on sale now or available within the coming months.
The essential philosophy of the Ultrabook is provide fully-featured processing power and connectivity, with long-lasting battery life...
... all in an extremely slim and portable form factor.
Ultrabooks are an important keystone to Intel's strategy for the next few years, and IDF was the place to see them.