Apple Rival Reaches the States: ASUS’ Ultrabook Debuts in U.S. Oct. 12

An Apple rival may arrive on Oct. 12.

The ASUS Ultrabook UX21 and UX31 will debut in the U.S. on Oct. 12, according to Engadget.

ASUS' super-thin Ultrabook will go on sale starting at $999.

The Ultrabook offers an alternative to the popular Apple MacBook Air. It is available in the 11.6-inch UX21 for $999 or the 13.3-inch UX31 for $1,099; and will weigh in at 2.4 and 2.9 pounds.

There will be two UX21 models and three UX31 models. The highest upgraded package will sell on the UX31 model for $1,449.

Endgadget describes them as two of the finest-looking Ultrabooks we've seen to date. The devices feature aluminum alloy bodies, glass-trackpads, and sharp-looking metal keyboards.

It will be just 0.66-inches at its thickest point, whereas the MacBook Air is 0.68-inches thick.

The Ultrabook has a spun finish on the outer surface, giving the entire product a sleek and polished look.

The UX21 battery life can last as long as seven hours. The MacBook Air can only last five hours.

Other highlights include 4GB of RAM, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, SATA III SSD at 128GB, two-second resume time, powerful ICEpower technology speakers, Core i5 and i7 processors reports Engadget.

The processing system in the MacBook Air is the same, reports TheLaptop, but the notable difference is that the ASUS Ultrabook is capable of reaching the same speed in a thinner physical shell.

MacBook Air can be upgraded to 256 GB so its storage space is larger.

ASUS gets its name from the last four letters of the word Pegasus, the Greek mythological winged-horse that represents the inspiration of art and learning.

The company seeks to soar to new heights of quality and innovation, according to its website.

The Ultrabook launch may be just the product needed for ASUS' Herculean success.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. sold at 227.50 on Oct. 11 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.