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Not just for ultrabooks: Intel tweaks Ivy Bridge to be more tablet-efficient

Windows 8 is tablet-destined, and Intel's announced ways to make its ultrabook processors better in smaller devices.

Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
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Scott Stein
CBS Interactive

LAS VEGAS--Ultrabooks are nice, but tablets are even smaller. Unfortunately, Intel's Core i-series processors haven't been a perfect fit in that regard. Intel announced tweaks to its current Ivy Bridge lineup at this year's CES that will make thinner, better battery-efficient laptops and tablets in a matter of months.

While fourth-gen Intel Core i-series processors aren't here yet, more power-efficient 7-watt Intel Ivy Bridge processors are shipping now that allow thinner laptops and tablets with better battery life than the previous 10-watt CPUs.

These will show up in systems as early as this spring, in devices like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S and thinner tablets from Acer and other manufacturers.

Although it sounds like a hold-the-fort move, it's also a necessary development to get Windows 8 touch convertibles off the ground and working as fast and as compactly as we expect them to.