Enter the Chromebook’s nemesis — the Ultrabook
Thanks to Chromebooks’ affordability, sales have risen substantially and now account for 20% to 25% of the sub-$300 laptop market, according to research firm NPD. The rest of the PC market is still in sad shape, however, posting an 11% year-on-year sales decline in the second quarter of 2013.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and its hardware partners’ grand initiative, the high-end Ultrabooks starting at $1,000, failed miserably. Admirable attempts by its hardware partners to mimic the design aesthetics of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s MacBook Air were ruined by the lackluster demand for Microsoft‘s polarizing operating system, Windows 8.
However, that setback didn’t stop Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) from following Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) into the health care industry. Last month, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) forged a partnership with Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX), a software and e-commerce services provider, to launch the A.D.A.M. Health Content Exchange, a set of new medical training programs designed exclusively for Ultrabooks.
The A.D.A.M. Health Content Exchange is an extension of Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX)’s other health care products, which also include an enterprise health information platform which connects consumers and health care professionals. The company has been expanding its services into health care education by hiring in-house educators and medical writers to create exclusive cloud-based content that can be offered on an on-demand basis.
Although Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) does not manufacture any computers by itself, its partnership with Ebix Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX) insures that the hardware architecture of its Ultrabooks is optimized for A.D.A.M. through proper touch screen capabilities, high resolution screens, and its robust Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) Core processors.
The Foolish bottom line
As demand for better medical training technology increases, medical schools and hospitals will be faced with some interesting choices. Should they adopt the firmly established iPad or the experimental but possibly revolutionary Google Glass? Should they purchase cheap, no-frills Chromebooks, or those powerful new Ultrabooks?
We are standing at a crossroads where a shortage of doctors, a rise in patients, and possible budget cuts intersect. What happens next could define the digital tools for the next age of medical education and patient care.
The article Will This Trio of Tech Giants Revolutionize Medical Education? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Leo Sun.
Leo Sun owns shares of Intel. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google, and Intel. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Intel.
Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
