Introduction of Ultra-Books to the Computing World

The introduction of ultra-books has sparked a new twist to the computing world putting the long lasting net-books on verge of extinction; in order for a laptop be classified as an ultra-book, the device must conform to Intel's set of descriptions entailing a thin slim design less than 20mm (0.8 inch), a feather light weight less than 3.1 pounds, long battery life and should cost about or less than $1000.

Over the past few months, major industry players such as Samsung and Acer have engaged in mass production of Android powered devices ranging from smart phones to tablets; it's however expected the market will soon experience a significant shift towards production of ultra-books as demand continue to build up. As of now, several manufacturers have already introduced laptops confined in this category with many showing interest to enter the segment soon.

In addition to physical descriptions of ultra-books, these laptops must also have a solid state drive (SSD); Solid State Drives are know to offer exceptional solid performance in terms of speed compared to standard hard disks, in this regard, these drives are ideal for multi-tasking and boot extremely faster than conventional drives. In addition, Solid State Drives consume less power compared to conventional drives thereby increasing your laptops battery life. There are two known types of Solid State Drives; external hard drives and on-board drives.

While on-board Solid State Drives are built inside the laptop's body, external Solid State Drives are not, they are usually stand alone and portable, the most common way to connect these drives on your laptop or PC is through USB ports. You'll be issued with a USB connection cable once you purchase an external drive. It should also be noted, Solid State Drives are more expensive than conventional drives thought limited on storage capacity.

Some of the recently unveiled laptops falling in ultra-books genre are Asus UX21 and UX31, Asus was actually the first manufacturer to introduce a laptop confined in Intel's specifications way back in June 2011. UX21 measures 17mm thick, 0.3mm less than Intel's maximum limit and also features a Solid State Drive; In addition, it weighs 2.4 pounds 0.7 pounds less than Intel's maximum specified weight.

The emergence of ultra-books to the computing world is expected to loosen Apple's grip on the market segment; Apple has been a major player in the industry with popular devices such as Apple Mac-Book Air dominating electronic shops around the world. As of now, manufacturers are producing first generation ultra-books costing less than $1000; however, its anticipated high-end ultra-books will soon start trickling to the market segment costly a little higher than first generation devices.