Shark Bay 2013 is definitely a very exciting notebook platform. As Intel is very well aware of the tablet juggernaut, it came up with a plan to significantly boost its Ultrabook spec.

The Ultrabook 2013 spec baseline features now include touchscreen technology, along with a host of other goodies. Touchscreen support is not optional, as it’s a part of a baseline Ultrabook features.

Intel also insists on fast wake from S3 or S4, always fresh data w/7 days standby, again a significant step up for a baseline feature. A Shark Bay Haswell baseline Ultrabook comes with U series processors that have between 15W and 25W TDP and it also includes a new Y series processors in the list. The last "new" thing in the spec is “great quality of experience,” which is hardly a feature.

The Ultrabook 2013 baseline feature also continues to deliver all-day battery life, sensor / context aware Ultrabook, convertible design, robust Wifi with 2x2 802.11n network (no 802.11ac, really Intel? Ed.) and wireless display support.

The price of Shark Bay based Ultrabook 2013 products will start from $699 or more, with $999 or more for the higher end ones with recommended features. Shark Bay 2013 recommended features include Responsive voice commands, hardware ready BST 2013, software required HR 13 and you can get more details in our earlier reports, linked below. The existing feature set includes innovative form factors (convertible), Microsoft Windows 8 connected standby support, Full HD display, standalone SSD, always connected WWAN, Facial recognition, CCF 2.0 and vPro for corporate users.

A few other features that didn’t get mentioned in the official specification sheet that a few will appreciate are a multi-touchpad and HD camera requirement. We like everything we see except the price. The baseline Ultrabook 2013 should have been priced at less than $699, with $499 as a great starting price, sans some features.

Also read

Ultrabook 2.0 2013 to get voice control