The next chapter in the ultrabook saga: 'Haswell'

Acer's first-generation Windows 8 touch-screen ultrabook. The second generation will likely feature Haswell chips. 

Ultrabooks are currently limping along on Windows 7, but Windows 8 and "Haswell" should put some spring in their step.
While Windows 8 is obviously a hot topic, less is being said about Haswell, Intel's next chip design that will underwrite the third stage of ultrabooks.
That's because Intel hasn't been talking about Haswell, except on the QT in NDA sessions in Asia this week.
Haswell is probably the first mainstream PC-class chip from Intel designed with really thin, small PCs in mind from the get-go. It will also probably pack a mean graphics punch (i.e., bigger performance uptick than usual).
But not a whole lot more is known about the new microarchitecture.
Until Haswell arrives, the first generation of Windows 8 touch-screen ultrabooks from companies like Acer and Lenovo will use Ivy Bridge processors. But the real deal (that is, more affordable touch-screen models) won't land until 2013 with Haswell.
And note that Microsoft won't bring out its Intel-based Windows Pro tablet until the end of January (or thereabouts). Is it waiting for Haswell? Either way, Haswell would make for a solid second-generation Surface Pro tablet.

Newest HP ultrabook faces shipment delays

Hewlett-Packard is still trying to get its latest and greatest ultrabook out the door. The design is HP"s thinnest and lightest ultrabook to date.

HP's Envy Spectre XT: its newest high-end ultrabook was supposed to ship in early June.

Hewlett-Packard is having a tough time fulfilling orders for its newest high-end ultrabook.
That would be the Envy Spectre XT, a 13-inch, three-pound, sub-0.7-inch-thick laptop sporting a mostly metal design and Intel's newest "Ivy Bridge" processors.
The model, announced in early May, had been expected to ship as early as June 8 but orders have been backlogged.
"HP Envy SpectreXT orders are taking longer to fulfill than HP expected," an HP spokesperson told CNET. "We are contacting all customers who have placed orders to provide updated expected delivery dates."

An order for the Spectre XT placed today on HP's Web site is showing a delivery date of August 27, 2012.
The newest Spectre (XT stands for "extra thin") starts at $999. That gets you Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, an Intel Core i5-3317U processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB DDR3 system memory, a 128GB solid-state Drive, backlit keyboard, a 13.3-inch LED- backlit Display (1366x768), a two-year warranty, and extras such as a two-year Norton Internet Security subscription, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 & Adobe Premiere Elements 10.

The Spectre XT was announced on the heels of the pricier and bigger 14-inch Envy Spectre. (Spectre is HP's premium laptop brand.) The latter is a novel design that packs a 14-inch screen into a 13-inch chassis and boasts a large helping of Gorilla glass on the front and back of the display and on the chassis.