ULTRABOOKS COULD START AT $499: ACER

Ultrabooks are powerful computers that are just as portable as netbooks. Most of these machines sport 13.3 inch displays and don’t weigh more than a typical netbook. What’s more, they have full-sized keyboards and powerful processors. On the flip side, ultrabooks cost as much as, if not more than, mainstream laptops. Of course, due to this high price tag they are not as popular as netbooks, but now PC makers are working to drop the starting price.

Right now, ultrabooks start at around $800, but Acer says that by 2013 they could be selling for as little as $500. Acer is expected to launch several new ultrabooks this year some of which could start at $699.

Of course, in a laptop starting at around that price, you can’t expect to find many of the premium features. That said, ultrabooks need to meet certain requirements. So even at $499, they need to have an Intel Core i-series processor, SSDs or a hard drive with solid state cache. They also need to weigh less than 4 pounds and measure less than an inch in thickness.