HP has launched a direct competitor to Apple’s Macbook Air, the Folio 13 Ultrabook, reports Apple Insider. HP’s first “business Ultrabook” will be available from December 7th and will cost $900 – $100 dollars cheaper than the basic Macbook Air model.
The Folio 13 features an ultra-slim design, 9 hours of battery life and a 128GB solid state drive. It also boasts an i5 processor and various ports, including HDMI out and USB 3.0.
Unfortunately, the Folio 13 lacks that all-metal construction of the MacBook Air, using plastic for portions of its structure. Nevertheless, this may be the biggest competitor yet to the Air (if you don’t mind using Windows), as it is cheaper yet more powerful and has more ports.
The MacBook Air has risen significantly in popularity this year, and currently makes up 28% of all of Apple’s notebook sales, remaining a big part of their mobile strategy.