[2] Introduced in 2011, they were originally marketed as featuring ultra thin form factor and light weight design without compromising battery life or performance, running on Intel Core processors.

[4] In 2011, Intel Capital press officer Jordan Balk Schaer announced a new fund to support startups working on technologies in line with the company's concept for next generation notebooks.

The Ultrabook would be a thin (less than 0.8 inches thick[6]) notebook that utilized Intel processors, and would emphasize portability and a longer battery life than other laptops[5][6] By this marketing initiative and the associated $300 million fund, Intel hoped to influence the slumping PC market against rising competition from smartphones[7] and tablet computers,[8] which are typically powered by competing ARM-based processors.

At a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show, an Intel manager stated that market analysis revealed that screen size motivated some of the reluctance to switch to 13" Ultrabooks.

The requirement, grounded in user experience research,[24] was intended to prevent "game-playing" and market confusion from OEMs, who had offered low-end products with touchscreens but not Ultrabooks.