Engineers at Intel Corp 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.
Models expected later this year 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.
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 typically used in ultrabooks, said Ben Broili, head of the team.
He said that may cut the cost of future ultrabooks by between $25 and $75 by letting manufactures use plastic cases instead of metal ones without sacrificing quality.
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.
At a meeting with analysts last month,... Source/Origin >> Read More
