Cheaper Ultrabooks to come as Intel lowers chip prices

Technology news provider DigiTimes is reporting that chipmaker Intel® plans to reduce the prices of several of its CPUs, including those based on the Sandy Bridge architecture. The move could have a significant impact on the Ultrabook™ market.

According to DigiTimes, Intel has told several of its partners that its Sandy Bridge-based Core™ i3 and i5 processors could see prices drop by as much as 15 percent.

This development could be an important one, as it may allow Ultrabook manufacturers to lower the costs of their devices as well. Price could prove to be a major barrier for some early Ultrabook models, but as DigiTimes reports, first-generation Ultrabooks based on Core i5 chips could see their prices reduced to as low as $799.

Prices for early Ultrabooks could also drop further when Intel introduces its next-generation Ivy Bridge, the successor to the Sandy Bridge architecture. Expected to be released in the spring of 2012, Ivy Bridge could shift demand in the processor market, which would lead to cheaper Sandy Bridge-based devices, according to industry experts.