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Date added: 12/10/2011 Tomshardware - Asus May Ship Swiveling Display Ultrabook in 2012

What's the best way to attack both the notebook and tablet market without losing the best features of both? Release an ultrabook with a touch-based, swiveling display. Unnamed industry sources are now reporting that Asus will do just that next year, and reveal the first model during Computex Taipei in June.

The news follows previous reports that ultrabook manufacturers are incorporating touch-based screens into their designs starting next year to support Windows 8's touch-based features. To make this possible, back-light unit (BLU) manufacturers are reportedly mounting lighting devices, optical films, and light guide panels onto the upper covers of ultrabooks by using an open cell (which depends on the lid of the ultrabook for protection) or hinge-up process. This is to reduce the thickness of touch-based ultrabooks and keep them in line with Intel's sub-0.83-inch specification.

That said, an ultrabook twisted into a tablet mode won't be quite as thin as an actual tablet, but consumers will have the option of pulling the keyboard back out once typing on the touch screen gets too annoying. The Asus ultrabook making its appearance in June is already slated to launch alongside Windows 8 when it's offered by Microsoft for public consumption in September... and it probably won't be the only swivel ultrabook on display.

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