AMD gearing up for Ultrabook-like PC

In response to Intel's launch of the Ultrabook™ computer, fellow chipmaker AMD is planning to introduce its own next-generation notebook, technology news provider DigiTimes reports.

According to DigiTimes, AMD's upcoming notebook has been codenamed Ultrathin. Like the Ultrabook, the Ultrathin will emphasize portability and performance, but AMD is also looking to get its device's price tag well below that of Intel's -- likely 10 percent to 20 percent lower.

The Ultrathin will be based on AMD's Trinity platform and is set to ship in mid-2012. By the year's end, as many as 20 Ultrathin models could be available, DigiTimes reports, compared to 75 Ultrabook computers.

"[A]lthough AMD's Ultrathin machines do not have any significant innovations in terms of performance or function, they have advantages over cost, which allows the average price of Ultrathin machines to be $100 [to] $200 lower than those of Intel's Ultrabooks," the report states.

Research firm IHS iSuppli expects the Ultrabook to account for 13 percent of the notebook market in 2012. That figure may waver, however, depending on the success of AMD's Ultrathin.