Intel tempts consumers to fight for an ultrabook

Intel has given away 36 ultrabooks in a global campaign that had consumers digging through sand and repetitively riding escalators in hopes of winning one of the new ultra-thin laptop PCs.

The chip maker conducted six "social experiments" in Australia, Indonesia and Thailand as part of its "ultrabook temptations" campaign last week.

Contests included: punching and kicking a power measurement device, smashing glass with a hammer, encouraging and measuring ‘over-excitement’, and repetitive riding on an escalator.

In Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Intel buried ten ultrabooks along with various other items in the sand, and handed out metal detectors to participants.

Intel partnered with several vendors including HP and Asus for the experiment.

Participants in Bangkok, Thailand, were encouraged to use their full strength in a power-testing exercise, with the person exerting the largest ‘punch power’ on a ‘punch pad’ awarded an ultrabook. 

The ultrabook debuted late last year as a new form factor designed to take on Apple's famously slim and light MacBook Air.

Intel's Core processors are present in ultrabooks from the likes of HP, with its Folio and Spectre; Asus and its Zenbook; Dell's XPS 13; Lenovo's IdeaPad; Samsung's Series 9 and Acer's Aspire.