Leading computing international company, Intel, will unveil the Ultrabook in Kenya in the coming few weeks. According to Intel, the new model is touted to be the thinnest and lightest gadget in the PC stable.

“The Ultrabook is a tablet when you want it to be and a notebook when you need it. It’s considered relatively cheaper than a macbook,” says Intel East Africa General Manager, Danie Steyn.

The Ultrabook will retail for less than Sh85,000. The first releases of the Ultrabook weigh less than 1.4 kg with a thickness of less than 21mm. Although Apple’s MacBook Air is more expensive at Sh120,000, it weighs less than the Ultrabook. The 11” MacBook Air weighs 1.08kg.

However, the MacBook Air and the Ultrabook go head to head in key areas including display, CPU (1.7 GHz Dual core), RAM, storage and graphics.

Intel’s vision for the Ultrabook, says Steyn, is to deliver a no-compromise, complete, satisfying and secure computing experience in one device. Some of the manufactures being powered by Intel Ultrabook technology include Acer, Dell, HP, Toshiba, Asus and Lenovo.

A few Ultrabook models debuted last year, but more than 75 Ultrabook designs are in the pipeline for 2012 and will come in a variety of screen sizes and styles. Intel says that it will later fuse together a compact laptop with a tablet to make it a thin, lightweight laptop, with some models featuring a detachable screen that can be used as a tablet.

Components from display panels, battery technology and storage solutions to motherboard and cooling technologies all had to be redesigned to fit into the new slim designs.

The Intel Rapid Start Technology will start-up the Ultrabook in a matter of seconds and has 8 to 9 hours of battery life.

Ultrabooks will also allow you to lock down your lost laptop with Intel® Anti-Theft Technology and give you peace of mind against identity theft when you are online with Intel® Identity Protection Technology.