BOM costs for 21mm thin ultrabooks are apparently in the $475 to $650 range, but 18mm models should cost between $493 and $710. Bear in mind that these figures do not include assembly, marketing, design and development and a host of other costs.
Intel believes the cheapest ultrabooks should cost less than $1,000, but vendors don’t seem too impressed. They are apparently concerned that high production costs will eat into their margins. Besides, in a time of economic turmoil and uncertainty, the market for sleek $1,000+ notebooks could be limited.
In related news, Intel is expecting to include 22nm Ivy Bridge processors in ultrabook designs sometime next year.
More here.