Surprisingly, AMD is one of the first companies to actually combine ultrabooks and hybrid form factors.
AMD showed off an ultra-thin, hybrid form factor brand-new chips at Computex
AMD introduced the new E-Series APUs for budget netbook and desktops and showed off a Windows 8 tablet that combined the hybrid laptop and ultrabooks form factors — in a tablet. Previously, OEMs have shown off hybrid or ultrabooks laptops running Windows 8.
The E-Series APUs were previously known as Brazos 2.0 have been designed with long battery lives, what AMD described as basic performance needs and an accessible price point. There’s the dual-core E2-1800 – 1.7GHz – and the E1-2100, which is 1.4GHz. Both of those will apparently achieve 11 hours of battery life when resting.
The Register says the 40nm chips have similar designs to the first version, the platform AMD claims was the most successful in its history. Companies supporting the platform will be Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.
Called Trinity, the chips are the follow-up to the Llano chips. AMD also claims the former provides up to 29 percent more computer power, which is a sizeable jump. The chips are going to be an essential part of AMD’s ultra-thin devices in direct opposition to Intel, it’s long-running rival. AMD showed off an 11.6-inch ultrabook, strictly a prototype, which was 10mm thick and could also detach from the keyboard as we’ve seen many times.
Reliable Performance
I’m not sure we’ve seen ultra-thin form factors and the tablet-laptop hybrid form factors combined before, though. It sounds like the kind of all-in-one Windows 8 device I’d want, because I could use the laptop form for the desktop side and then detach when using Metro. It’s definitely different.
AMD says the main difference between it and Intel’s Ivy Bridge laptops is the price. We’ll have to see how that turns out, considering the device shown was just a prototype. AMD said there will be announcing over the coming weeks which will show devices running the Trinity chip and producing 10 hours of battery life. AMD also said it can get prices as low as $500, because it is not limited by specifications. I don’t think $500 is competitive with the iPad, but the iPad can’t transform into a laptop.