SAN FRANCISCO Engineers at Intel are applying lessons from aircraft design to create sturdier laptops in a bid to reduce the prices of the new ultra-thin computers the top chipmaker is promoting heavily. <\/p>\n
Intel is counting on the super-thin laptops, a category it has dubbed ultrabooks, to add some pizzazz to a PC market languishing due to the growing popularity of Apple Inc's iPad. <\/p>\n
Combining the best of laptops and tablets, the ultrabooks will have large, touch screens, \"instant on\" responsiveness and razor-thin dimensions all expensive features that have left some on Wall Street wondering if they might be too expensive for average consumers. <\/p>\n
Engineers at Intel's Dupont, Washington R&D center, including former Boeing Co employees, have come up with a design method to make plastic laptop cases as strong as more expensive metal ones. That may cut the cost of future ultrabooks by between $25 and $75, said Ben Broili, head of the team. <\/p>\n
Their work is an example of the steps Intel is taking to find ways to make future ultrabooks more affordable without cutting the prices of its processors. <\/p>\n
At a meeting with analysts last month, Intel Chief Executive Paul Otellini said ultrabooks would be available for as little as $699, but many are expected to be priced nearer to $1,000. <\/p>\n
Borrowing from the aerospace industry, the engineers have found that hard drives, motherboards and other components that make up the guts of a PC can be laid out in ways that make the laptops structure much stronger. <\/p>\n
\"We didn't develop a new material. We are able to use an existing plastic with an existing manufacturing technology,\" he told Reuters in a telephone interview. \"It just requires some more upfront thought initially about how you lay your system out and how you can bring these things together and tie them in.\" <\/p>\n
Different components in the laptop can be leveraged to support its chassis, or even dissipate heat from the processor, he said. <\/p>\n
\"There is no one size fits all,\" Broili added. \"We're trying to enable the entire industry. You can make trades, move stuff around; and if you don't want your hard drive here, then move it. You have a menu you can pick from and see what you win or lose from a cost and quality standpoint.\" <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Intel inspired by aerospace to make sturdier laptops<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAN FRANCISCO Engineers at Intel are applying lessons from aircraft design to create sturdier laptops in a bid to reduce the prices of the new ultra-thin computers the top chipmaker is promoting heavily. Intel is counting on the super-thin laptops, a category it has dubbed ultrabooks, to add some pizzazz to a PC market languishing due to the growing popularity of Apple Inc's iPad Continue reading