Even the success of Apple’s Macbook Air failed to spark other manufacturers into action as they continued churning out laptops that once again looked like last year’s model.

So.. In steps Intel

Concerned by this lazy approach to design and also by the rate at which tablets had begun eroding the laptop market Intel decided to take action.

But why are Intel so worried about the popularity of tablets? Simple, Intel don’t make processors for Tablets. As such, each Tablet sold is revenue going somewhere other Intel.

And more concerning for Intel is that Tablets have become fashionable, a status that mainstream laptops have not had for many years. Laptops are viewed as productive pieces of technology whilst Tablets are fresh, youthful and exciting.

Enter The Ultrabook

Faced with the biggest threat to their primary revenue stream since AMD’s early Athlon chips became extremely popular Intel knew that they needed to act fast.

They needed to recreate the Laptop and encourage manufacturers to take a new approach to design that could re-establish laptops as a fashionable piece of technology.

..So, they created the Ultrabook (which they’ve also trademarked).

But What Is An Ultrabook?

For a laptop to be classified as an Ultrabook it must comply with the specifications defined by Intel.

These specifications state that all Ultrabooks must be less than 21mm thick and resume from hibernation in less than 7 seconds. In essence, the Ultrabook is a small and light laptop that has the “always on” convenience of a Tablet.

And it doesn’t stop there! Intel are going to continue revising and improving the requirements for a device to be classified as an Ultrabook which should ensure that manufacturers don’t become complacent again.

Any Ultrabook Negatives?

There’s only one real negative to the first batch of Ultrabooks to hit the shelves.. their price!

Even lower specification models cost considerably more than traditional laptops and also a lot more than the majority of Tablet PC’s. This could be a real problem for Ultrabooks whilst the world experiences a very tough economic climate.

We can’t help thinking that for Ultrabooks to succeed and claw back some of the market share they have lost to Tablets they’ll first need to compete on price.. time will tell.