Ultrabooks to Stimulate Stalled Windows-Intel "Framework"
Acer's chairman, J.T Wang, feels that Ultrabooks could be the magic bullet that jolts the "Wintel" (Windows-Intel) slump on touch-centric devices. He also mentioned price as a major deciding factor that will make or break the Ultrabook.
Critics of Microsoft's Windows 7 say that it was better than any Windows operating system by leaps and bounds. But for the past two years, or since the world was introduced to touch navigation with the release of the iPad, the OS, Windows 7 failed to make any impact with touch devices that come with it.
According to Taipei Times, Acer predicts , that this failure in touch-centric devices will change, once Windows 8 and Ultrabooks come together in 2012. Acer has made it clear that they will invest heavily into Ultrabooks, which Acer's chairman believes would help stimulate Taiwan's Information Technology sector.
He explained during Taiwan's largest gadget show (IT Month Exhibition), that this is because Taiwan's (or rather most of the world's IT industry) Information Technology industry uses primarily Wintel (Windows-Intel) frameworks which Wang (and Intel's Otellini) believes has "stalled".
Wang also added that the ideal price for an Ultrabooks needs to be at US$699 in order for it to increase sales, and it may happen early 2012. He was also positive with regards to the forecasts of Ultrabook sales. Acer's own Acer Aspire S3 currently costs between US$799, and US$1299, although it could be reduced by almost 20 percent in early 2012.
Acer expects shipment volumes to be between 250,000 and 300,000 units for the last quarter of the year. Wang also said that Intel has prepared a US$300 million deal with Acer and other manufactures to "improve Ultrabook sales and costs", though according to The Verge, Intel denies it will be done through subsidies.
Source: Taipei Times, The Verge, Via Netbook News, Via CNET
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