Makers of home computers plan to wage war on tablets by unveiling "Ultrabooks" this week.
Ultrabooks are as thin and light as Apple's iPad - and they are the PC industry's latest hope for regaining diminishing market share.
Retail: Sales
Forecast through 2016
The new product category aims to bridge the gap between laptops and tablets, industry experts say.
"You are finding a lot of people increasingly using a tablet for things that they would have done on a laptop earlier," says Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer at Jacky's Electronics. "But these people still own two devices,"a laptop and tablet. "The Ultrabook … says 'let me do that for you on one device'."
The chip maker Intel owns the Ultrabook trademark and has set up a US$300 million (Dh1.1 billion) fund to help computer makers bolster this new product line.
Intel wants Ultrabooks to use its latest processor, which is 17 per cent faster than the processor in the average laptop today. Ultrabooks boast a battery life of at least five hours and require only seven seconds to start up.
Acer, the world's second-largest PC maker, is unveiling its Ultrabook at Gitex Shopper this week. It is looking to the product category to boost its flagging PC sales.
In August, the company reported its first quarterly loss in its history.
Acer's woes represent a larger malaise in the PC market. The research company Gartner cut its growth forecast for the global PC market this year from 9.3 per cent to 3.8 per cent. Gartner cited the slower economies of Europe and the US as well as a boom in tablet sales as reasons for the expected weaker growth in PC sales.
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The move to launch Ultrabooks is an urgent attempt by PC makers to stem declining sales. And Intel foresees Ultrabooks becoming mainstream computers in the next two years.
"We're expecting by the end of 2012 that 40 per cent of our consumer notebooks based on Intel architecture will be Ultrabook. And up to 2013 we're expecting 60 per cent of the consumer market based on Intel architecture to be in its Ultrabook form," says Nassir Nauthoa, Intel's general manager for the Gulf. "We're literally just kicking off with this product, so we're using Gitex as a kind of show-and-tell."
However, the supply of Ultrabooks in the Emirates will initially be small as the devices will be available only at the Gitex Shopper event this week. Units not sold at the event will make their way into electronics retail stores such as Jacky's.
"There is going to be a shortage in the beginning until the factories scale up and then get all the units out in the volumes that we expect," Mr Panjabi says.
Microsoft is one company that will monitor the levels of Ultrabook sales carefully, as the devices use the Windows 7 operating system.
gvanzyl@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
DUNGEONS%20%26%20DRAGONS%3A%20HONOR%20AMONG%20THIEVES
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The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5