Next in Notebooks: Super Thin ‘Ultrabooks’ to Cost Under $1,000

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Not that it should be a huge surprise by any stretch of the imagination, but notebook computers will continue to get thinner, lighter and less expensive.

So says Intel, which outlined what it’s calling “Ultrabooks”—portable computers that’ll measure well under an inch thick and run atop Intel’s latest line of “Core” processors:

“Intel’s vision is to enable a new user experience by accelerating a new class of mobile computers. These computers will marry the performance and capabilities of today’s laptops with tablet-like features and deliver a highly responsive and secure experience, in a thin, light and elegant design…

…This family of products will enable thin, light and beautiful designs that are less than 20mm (0.8 inch) thick, and mainstream price points under US$1,000. Systems based on these chips will be available for the 2011 winter holiday shopping season and include the UX21, ASUS Ultrabook.”

Asus outlined the above-mentioned UX21 in its own press release, saying that it’ll measure just 17 millimeters (0.67 inches) at 20110530_a1its thickest point and be encased in an aluminum alloy shell.

You’ll be able to buy the UX21 Ultrabook with an Intel Core i7 processor, too, which ought to pack sufficient punch while remaining plenty portable.

Future lines of ultrabooks will roll out in the first half of next year, too, and sport Intel’s upcoming line of “Ivy Bridge” processors we heard about earlier this month. Those will be Intel’s smallest processors yet, but will provide up to a 37% performance increase over current-generation processors.

More on TIME.com:

Intel Trades Over 50 Years of Chip Design for ‘3D’ Processors