ASUS Ultrabooks could get cheaper in 2012

Intel’s Ultrabooks easily stole the show at this year’s IFA conference in Berlin, but sadly ASUS’s UX line of Ultrabooks was missing. Originally introduced back at Computex 2011, the Ultrabooks haven't even hit shelves yet, but that isn't stopping CEO Jerry Shen from commenting on the future of the devices.

According to a report by Digitimes, ASUS’s Chief Executive Officer expects the next-generation of Ultrabooks to start selling at $600-$900, thanks to Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge processors. The new generation of CPUs, which is based on the 22nm architecture, offers better power consumption and heat generation and is expected to be released in March or April of next year. Unfortunately, the reduced prices still may not be enough to get the segment mainstream, as Mr. Shen expects a below 40% market share for Ultrabooks compared to notebooks in 2012.

Intel has been pushing a sub-$1,000 price tag for the first generation of Ultrabooks, but till now Toshiba’s Protégé Z830 appears to be the only device in the vaunted price range. However, ASUS could soon join the club, as the Digitimes report mentions a tentative pricing of $899. Of course, we can’t be too sure until we receive official word from ASUS, but we’ve definitely got our fingers crossed till then.

Source(s)