Report: Ivy Bridge ultrabooks, new Windows 8 info a shoe-in for trade show

Computex Taipei, the annual trade show held in Taiwan’s capital city, brings together IT industry heavyweights from around the world. Bucking conventions, the country’s own smartphone manufacturer High Tech Computer (HTC) was even tapped to take part in the event’s keynote address. According to insiders, that’s not the only surprise in store.

Digitimes reports that PC makers Acer and Asustek will have a strong presence at the event, renting out a considerable 50 booths to show off their latest Ivy Bridge ultrabooks. The new processor is expected to increase ultrabook power efficacy by 50 percent, trumping Intel’s original Sandy Bridge chipset which powered launch models last fall.

A report last month from the Taiwanese news site speculated that Ivy Bridge ultrabooks, which were originally targeted for a spring release according to Intel itself, wouldn’t make it to market until June. Since Computex Taipei takes place between June 5 and June 9, the delay seems like a given at this point.

One last tidbit revealed by the site’s insider sources is that Microsoft’s planning some special demos of its upcoming Windows 8. The Redmond software giant may end up providing a glimpse of the OS running on myriad devices, including spotlight-grabbing ultrabooks.

Microsoft has all-but-confirmed an October 2012 release date for Windows 8. A Consumer Preview version was released on February 29.