多年来，个人计算在操作系统领域(operating system segment)发生了很多变化，尤其是随着Windows年复一年地发展——(year –)从Windows XP到Windows 10。
在硬件方面，个人计算领域(computing segment)也进行了很多实验。它有多种形式：传统的台式机(Desktop)、笔记本电脑、带有手写笔的平板电脑、PDA 和手持设备、新一代的标签(generation tabs)和能够进行高级计算的手机。
随着最近行业发生的所有变化以及所有创新的出现，是时候让我们看看PC 领域(PC segment)的相关内容和不相关内容了。
随着Apple创新产品的发布，以及更薄更轻的平板电脑的推出，家庭主妇们一直在谈论 PC 已死。所以让我把它改正。PC 没有死，也不会死。但变化是你绝对可以期待的。带有传统键盘和鼠标的台式机(Desktops)拥有强大的硬件，要执行大部分任务，我们都需要台式机。
平板电脑也很棒。他们做得很好，主要是作为内容消费设备。现在的手机也是如此，绝对是智能手机，让我们不再需要携带单独的音乐播放器(music player)、数码相机等。那么现在变化会发生在哪里呢？看看你周围，你已经知道我在说什么了。笔记本(Notebooks)！
这可能真的是个人选择，但是哦，伙计，我不是笔记本电脑的粉丝(Notebook fan)。我有我的桌面，通常每年一个新的，因为我喜欢 Windows 并且一天中的大部分时间都附在我的桌子上。当我在旅途中时，我宁愿坚持使用智能手机来满足我几乎所有的基本需求——如果我有一些额外的时间并且需要更多时间来满足我的互联网(Internet)或数字需求，我可以拿出我的标签。
那么笔记本在哪里玩呢？它们是重型硬件，电池寿命短(battery life)且需要更多维护。它曾经是身份的象征(status symbol)——随身携带。那些日子一去不复返了。恕我直言，笔记本电脑，你是我们甚至引发关于所有 PC 死亡的谣言(rumor fire)的原因。
Like all dying age technologies, during the transition from, bad to good, there’s been always an intermediate guy, who just appears and disappears like a spark. For example, Pagers! Those were the small devices that appeared between the transitions of landlines to cell phones.
上网本(Netbooks)也是如此。这些有望满足那些对标签不满意的人，也不满意笔记本。上网本(Netbooks)应该同时为笔记本和 Tab(Notebook and Tab)服务，作为一个低成本实体工作。但我想这些并不是笔记本电脑的真正替代品。他们只是不够强大。这个想法被严格限制在互联网的使用(Internet usage)范围内。那么算力(power computing)呢？一个更大的——“不”。
所以必须有一些新的东西。去年英特尔(Intel)也有同样的设想。他们希望以小巧的超薄外形进行强大的计算，并具有非常耐用的电池寿命(battery life)。它们被称为超极本(Ultrabooks)。
什么是超极本？
简而言之，超极(Ultrabooks)本本身就是笔记本电脑。硬件标准化(hardware standardization)使它们成为不同类型的笔记本电脑。正如我之前提到的，超极本(Ultrabooks)是更薄、功能更强大的笔记本电脑，具有令人惊叹的现代技术硬件(technology hardware)和更长的电池寿命(battery life)。它弥合了平板电脑和老一代笔记本电脑之间的差距。
从技术上讲，超极本必须遵循英特尔严格的硬件指南。(Technically, Ultrabooks have to follow strict hardware guidelines from Intel.)
- 屏幕尺寸：13英寸屏幕尺寸(screen size)，超极本应小于18毫米。17 英寸或更大的屏幕应该比 21 毫米薄。
- 电池寿命(Battery life)：必须大于 5+ 完整工作时间
- 处理器：应该是专为更高性能和最低功耗而设计的第二代或以上intel处理器(power consumption)
- 光驱：不需要
- 技术：Thunderbolt、USB 3.0、蓝牙 3.0(Bluetooth 3.0)等（如果有）。
- 无线网络：强制
- Wimax + 3G：必需但非强制
- 启动：需要沙桥式英特尔(Intel)快速存储（启动元素存储在主板芯片上，以便接近即时启动）
- 触摸屏：Haswell 一代(Haswell generation)超极本（Windows 8 超极本）需要
Ultrabook 系列(Ultrabook line)中的第一款笔记本电脑是华硕 UX21 ，这是一款比(Asus UX21)MacBook Air更薄的 0.67 英寸笔记本电脑，包括一个 11.6 英寸显示屏、一个USB 2.0端口和一个全新的USB 3.0端口。这些超极本预计具有即时启动功能，可让您快速打开笔记本电脑并立即使用。大多数还将搭载强大的现代处理器、USB 3、Thunderbolt等现代硬件规格。四家系统制造商已经推出了基于当前Sandy Bridge CPU(Sandy Bridge CPUs)的超极本：宏碁(Acer)、华硕(Asustek)、三星和东芝(Samsung and Toshiba). 在未来的未来，英特尔(Intel)计划开发Haswell，这是一种 22nm处理器架构(processor architecture)，以继Ivy Bridge之后，旨在在保持性能的同时降低功耗。(power consumption)Haswell的目标是将(Haswell)功耗(power consumption)降低 20 倍，这将使移动系统一次充电即可在待机模式下“存活”近 10 天。哈斯韦尔(Haswell)完全可以完成超极本革命。
针对一些革命性的技术变化，英特尔(Intel)开发了一种LCD 面板(LCD panel)规范，该规范通过存储足够的数据来提供屏幕图像(screen image)而无需唤醒主机CPU，从而节省系统功耗(system power)。该规范涉及将面板接口(panel interface)转换为嵌入式Displayport，并在面板电子设备中放置不到 1 兆字节的内存。该方案可以使移动系统电池的平均寿命增加一个小时。
此外，微软和英特尔(Microsoft and Intel)正在推出一种名为Converged Platform Power Management的新兴PC 电源管理方案(PC power management scheme)，该方案将首先内置到Windows 8中。该方法涉及根据硬件组件向系统报告的功率参数，在整个系统中积极调度功率使用。(power use)
如您所见，超极本(Ultrabooks)所展示的不仅仅是外观上的变化。他们是一个新种族。他们现在的销售可能缓慢，但他们的未来看起来很光明。
这是李先生的客座文章。(This is a guest post by Mister Lee.)
What are Ultrabooks - The rebirth of Notebooks
For years рersonal computing has seen a lot of evolution hapрening in the operating ѕystem segment, especially with Windows evolνing year after year – from Windows XP to Windows 10.
The personal computing segment has seen a lot of experimentation when it comes to hardware, as well. It has come in many form factors: the traditional Desktop, notebooks, tablets with a stylus, PDA’s and handhelds, new generation tabs, and phones capable of advanced computing.
With all the changes recently hitting the industry and all the innovations going around, it’s time that we take a look at what’s relevant and what’s not in the PC segment.
With the release of innovative products from Apple, introduction of tablets with thinner and lighter form factors, there have been housewives talks going around that PCs are dead. So let me set that right. PCs aren’t dead and aren’t going to be. But changes are something you can definitely expect. Desktops with traditional keyboards and mice are here with powerful hardware, and to carry out most of the tasks, we all need desktops.
Tablets are wonderful too. They do their job well, mainly as content consumption devices. So do the mobile phones nowadays, which are definitely smart, allowing us to eliminate the need to carry a separate music player, digital camera and so on. So where will the change take place now? Take a look around you and you already know what I’m talking about. Notebooks!
It could really be a personal choice, but oh man, I wasn’t much of a Notebook fan. I have my desktop, usually a new one every year, as I love Windows and am attached to my desk most times of the day. And when I’m on the move, I rather stick to my smartphone for almost all my basic needs – and if I get some extra time and need a bit more to satisfy my Internet or digital needs, I can pull out my tab.
Then where do notebooks come to play? They are heavy pieces of hardware with low battery life and more maintenance needs. It was once a status symbol – carrying them around. Gone are those days. With all due respect, notebooks, you are the reason why we even had the rumor fire up about the death of all PCs.
Like all dying age technologies, during the transition from, bad to good, there’s been always an intermediate guy, who just appears and disappears like a spark. For example, Pagers! Those were the small devices that appeared between the transitions of landlines to cell phones.
So were the Netbooks. These were expected to satisfy those who weren’t satisfied with the tabs, nor with the notebooks. Netbooks were supposed to serve the purpose of Notebook and Tab at the same time, working as a low-cost entity. But I guess those aren’t really the replacement for notebooks. They just aren’t powerful enough. The idea was strictly set to the limits of Internet usage. What about power computing? An even bigger – “No”.
So something new had to be there. And last year Intel envisioned the same. They wanted powerful computing in small ultra-thin form factors, with highly durable battery life. And they were called Ultrabooks.
What are Ultrabooks?
In a nutshell, Ultrabooks are notebooks themselves. The hardware standardization is what makes them into a different genre of notebooks. As I mentioned earlier, Ultrabooks are thinner, powerful notebooks with amazing modern technology hardware and longer battery life. It bridges the gap between tablets and old-generation notebooks.
Technically, Ultrabooks have to follow strict hardware guidelines from Intel.
- Screen size: 13″ screen size, ultrabook should be thinner than 18 mm. 17″ or larger screens should be thinner than 21 mm.
- Battery life: must be greater than 5+ full working hours
- Processor: should be second-generation or above intel processors designed exclusively for higher performance and lowest power consumption
- Optical Drives: not required
- Technologies: Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0, etc. if present.
- Wi-Fi: Mandatory
- Wimax + 3G: Required but not mandatory
- Boot: Requires sandy bridge-type Intel rapid storage (boot elements are stored on chips of the mainboard for near to instant boot)
- Touch screen: Required for Haswell generation ultrabooks (Windows 8 ultrabooks)
The first notebook in the Ultrabook line is the Asus UX21, a .67-inch laptop that is thinner than the MacBook Air, includes an 11.6-inch display, one USB 2.0 port, and one brand new USB 3.0 port. These ultrabooks are expected to have instant-on features, which will allow you to quickly flip the laptop open and use it immediately. Most will also carry powerful modern processors, modern hardware specifications like USB 3, Thunderbolt, etc. Four system makers have already shipped ultrabooks based on the current Sandy Bridge CPUs: Acer, Asustek, Samsung and Toshiba. In the coming future, Intel is planning to work on Haswell, a 22nm processor architecture to follow on to Ivy Bridge, that aims to cut power consumption while maintaining performance. Haswell aims to deliver a 20 times reduction in power consumption, which will enable a mobile system to “live” almost ten days in standby mode on a single charge. Haswell could well complete the ultrabook revolution.
Coming to some of the revolutionary technical changes made, Intel has developed an LCD panel specification that saves system power by storing enough data to serve up a screen image without waking up the host CPU. The specification involves transitioning the panel interface to an embedded Displayport and putting less than a megabyte of memory in the panel electronics. The scheme could add up to an hour, to the average life of a mobile system’s battery.
Also, Microsoft and Intel are bringing an emerging PC power management scheme called Converged Platform Power Management, which will first be inbuilt into Windows 8. The approach involves aggressively scheduling power use across the system based on power parameters that the hardware components report to the system.
As you can see, it’s not just the cosmetic changes that Ultrabooks shows off. They are a new race. Their sales may be slow now, but their future looks bright.
This is a guest post by Mister Lee.
