AMD, Intel Chips Power-up Ultrathin, Ultrabook Laptop Sales

By Paul B. Wordman on April 11, 2012 · 12:26 pm

To paraphrase, and dare we say, mangle an old beer commercial: It's ultrathin, ultrabook time. 'Ultrathin' in this case is the AMD powered designation for the newly evolved breed of very thin-and-light laptops, with 'Ultrabook' being the trade-marked Intel version.

That trend is shaping up to be a tidal-wave by the middle of 2013, as previously predicted. It may help to think of it as an accelerating locomotive. Getting the entire semi-conductor supply-chain up to speed, including hundreds of parts vendors, CPU, APU, and GPU chip-makers, has taken some time.

That locomotive with the semi-conductor supply-train in tow, departed the station in late 2011, with hundreds of millions of Intel designated dollars acting as horsepower. That includes the $300-million Ultrabook™ Fund aimed at platform and component technologies, with tablet-like features, and even touchscreen displays. Intel also created the $100-million Intel Capital AppUpSM Fund to invest in companies making digital content, applications, middleware, infrastructure, and experiences designed with ultrabooks in mind.

The Train Schedule

The Intel television-commercial trains moved out of, or more correctly, onto the stations in early April, accompanied by a paid-promotion on Twitter. Additional print and online advertising vehicles will be seen in May.

That campaign is Intel's biggest advertising push in nearly ten years, and really is big enough to be described as a locomotive, with serious marketing horsepower. Intel VP of marketing, Kevin Sellers, said: "This is not a campaign where we're talking about the microprocessor or Intel the company. Instead, we're giving a cinematic and epic feel to how Intel-inspired Ultrabook systems are ushering in a new era of computing and making everything else seem like ancient history".

The online interactive element will carry the storyline to countries beyond where the TV spots will air. That list currently includes Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States.

We're not going to spoil the fun by describing the upcoming TV commercials, but standby to be amused and probably captivated. Every commercial ends with a metaphoric twist, as its original, ancient setting transforms into a modern-day scene. One of the print ads includes the line: "Your great-grandkids just called; they want their computer back."

By now you may be excused for momentarily thinking it's a train named hyperbole that's just blowing smoke, with boxcars full of metaphors. You've got to stop doing that; because the probability of you actually being on that train in the foreseeable, if not immediate future, is just about 100%.

The Engines

The first of Intel's 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge chips will be in products within a matter of days following this report. AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), will also hit the track running with its Trinity APUs. Both the AMD and Intel chips will provide substantial improvements in graphics and processing power, but with about a 50% cut in power consumption compared to current chips. Historically, AMD has typically offered better graphics performance than Intel, with lower prices. Likewise, Intel usually offers an edge in CPU performance.

Track-side Wrap-up

Later in 2012, expect to see a minimum of 85 additional ultrathin or ultrabook designs, providing plenty of competition to the benefit of consumers. Don't forget: the definition of 'ultrabook' is an Intel trademark. When you hear the term 'ultrathin', just think AMD; and the significant difference will probably be a lower price.