Intel knows what Ultrabook success will take

Chipmaker Intel® has devoted a great deal of resources -- and capital -- to support the development of the new Ultrabook™ technology. The company has made clear its belief that Ultrabooks are the laptop computers of the future, and, as such, it has a lot riding on the technology's success.

So it's not surprising the company has at least one notion in mind that will determine the Ultrabook's fate.

"Users want something that's cool," says Erik Reid, general manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms division, according to a CNET report.

Simple as it sounds, the idea is a novel one and has proven crucial in recent years. Tablet computers, for example, are generally considered cool, as are smartphones and e-readers. Personal digital assistants and any mp3 player not named iPod®, on the other hand, have been deemed uncool and have consequently foundered in the market.

Intel estimates that Ultrabooks will account for 40 percent of consumer notebook sales in 2012. However, to accomplish this, the world's largest microprocessor manufacturer will have to prove it still knows a thing or two about the current generation of electronics and what exactly people are looking for these days.