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AMD readies answer to Intel's Ultrabook

'Ultrathin' PC, anyone?

How powerful is the Ultrabook brand? AMD is betting it is less important to punters - and laptop vendors - than price. The chip maker is to launch a platform for skinny machines in Q2.

According to moles, AMD's "Ultrathin" platform will debut in June with a view to costing computer makers 10-20 per cent less than Intel's upcoming 'Ivy Bridge' platform is expected to, DigiTimes reports.

Ivy Bridge will power Intel's Ultrabook promotion during the latter part of 2012 and is expected to debut in the March/April timeframe.

Laptops based on Intel's second-gen Ultrabook platform are still expected to retail for around $999, but AMD hopes to undercut its arch-rival. But don't expect Ultrathin to deliver the performance and battery life advantages provided by Ivy Bridge, pundits warn.

Ultrathin is based on AMD's Trinity chips which integrate graphics into the CPU die. Unlike Intel, AMD doesn't push its own Wi-Fi chips too, so Ultrathin sellers will be able to add in whichever wireless chip they prefer.

Still, getting $100-200 off the price of an Ultrabook-type PC may be enough to get consumers buying into the platform, especially in these straitened economic times. ®

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