Asus has revealed its Zenbook Infinity ultrabook at Computex 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan. The slim computer is covered in Gorilla Glass 3, features the latest Intel processors and could be one of the PC market's last hurrahs.
Strange, then, that Asus is tight-lipped on what's inside the high-end and lightweight computer and what it's capable of.
The Zenbook Infinity is, at its maximum thickness, 15.5mm, it contains a 13.3-inch display, is rumored to contain Intel's latest Haswell processors, comes with a built-in touchscreen, a backlit keyboard, two USB 3.0 ports on both sides of the chasis, an SD card slot, a Mini DisplayPort and a micro-HDMI port and Windows 8.1.
The ultrabook also features Corning's latest iteration of Gorilla Glass, Gorilla Glass 3, on its lid and palm rest. Gorilla Glass 3 is supposedly lighter, tougher and capable of resisting scratches - if you've used an iPhone, then you're familiar with the material.
Other than that not much else is known about the Zenbook Infinity. There's no price set on the mysterious new laptop, though it's expected to be released sometime in the third quarter of 2013. Asus, it appears, is set on drumming up some hype around its new ultrabook before it releases more details.
But the question now is whether or not the Zenbook Infinity will be able to survive the dismal state of affairs the PC market currently finds itself in. PC sales are seeing record lows due in no small part to the boost in mobile and tablet computing.
Some may argue that tablet computers and smartphones are no replacement for desktop and laptop computing, and they could be right, but distrust of Microsoft's latest Windows operating system, combined with the expense of quality PCs compared to tablets has, according to Reuters, driven consumers away.
That exodus has also sent consumers to newer operating systems, like Android and iOS, which PC makers don't traditionally manufacture for.
"But the ugly truth is that PC makers are still tethered to Windows 8.1 and Microsoft's ability to grow the market with Intel's latest hardware," ZDNet's Larry Dignan said in a post. "If Windows 8.1 doesn't deliver, PC makers are going to be scrapping for the profit morsels left over from a too-crowded Android ecosystem."
If Windows sales don't improve, then the Zenbook Infinity may be the beginning of the end for the PC era.
