London - Arabstoday
This year\'s laptops are set to be all about one word: Ultrabooks.The term Ultrabook is actually pure marketing, dreamt up by Intel for a new generation of portable PCs featuring its technology.Like Centrino but unlike Viiv, it\'s starting to stick as a catch-all term for thin and light laptops, or ultraportables as they\'re sometimes classified.The best way to think of an Ultrabook is a MacBook Air that isn\'t made by Apple, a netbook that isn\'t underpowered or a laptop that\'s been on a crash diet. Ultrabooks all feature a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, plus fast SSD storage and USB 3.0 connectivity.According to Intel, Ultrabooks also have \"ultra-capabilities\" - security features, battery power, instant-on and quick standby. They\'ll provide a lightweight alternative to tablet devices for people who just can\'t work without a full QWERTY keyboard. Intel has announced a massive $300m (£185m) fund to help develop Ultrabook hardware and software, and it\'s confident that Ultrabooks will make up 40% of the market by 2012.The first models are shipping with current generation Sandy Bridge Core processors, which will be replaced this year by a new generation of Ivy Bridge chips.Intel set an initial price target of $999/£999 for Ultrabooks, though many have been more expensive - expect serious in-roads on the cheaper £600-£800 market this year.But what\'s the best Ultrabook to buy? Check out the best Ultrabooks we\'ve reviewed, as well as some we got hands on with at CES 2012.