DigiTimes is reporting that Intel is getting extremely aggressive in promoting the upcoming CULV platform. CULV – Consumer Ultra Low Voltage, is expected to shake up the ultraportable laptop/notebook market.
Up until now, typical Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) laptops were fairly pricey – normally starting at well over $1000 (although that’s changed in recent months). With the introduction of the CULV platform, Intel plans to change that. They will be offering deep discounts, as low as $65 per unit for HP, Acer, and Dell, with $70-$75 USD for Asustek and MSI, according to DigiTimes’ sources. The lowest tier is probably Celeron-based, as dual-core mid-range and high-end CPUs are being listed at over $300 USD.
MSI’s 13.3-inch X-Slim X340 will be one of the first ultraportables based on the CULV platform and is expected to start somewhere between $700 and $1000.
Netbooks/sub-notebooks revealed that there is a huge market for small/ultraportable laptops at a lower price than traditional laptops. Intel would probably rather sell CULV CPUs than their Atom CPUs that are found in most netbooks, since the price-per-unit for the CULVs is substantially higher. This will be an interesting launch to watch.
The official CULV launch will be on April 19, 2009.
Read:
– DigiTimes