The Toshiba Kirabook is the latest in the line of Toshiba Ultrabooks, but this one is a bit different. Looking at the design and the specs, Toshiba seems to have made a point of directing their market for the Kirabook at possible Macbook Air owners.

Hardware Specifications

The shell of the Toshiba Kirabook is made from a brushed Magnesium alloy, so it is very resistant. It measures just 1.77 cm thick and weighs 1.17 kg. The overall design is very much like that of the Apple Macbook Air, speaking of Apple…Kira is a Japanese word, which is a translated mean “Killer”. I wonder if this was a deliberate name aimed at Apple by the Toshiba clan?

The Toshiba KiraBook houses an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, either a Core i5-3337U (Dual-Core from 1.8 to 2.7 GHz) or Core i7-3537U (Dual-Core from 2 to 3.1 GHz) depending on the model purchased. The CPU is supported by 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and storage is provided by a 256GB SSD. These impressive specs should make the Toshiba Kirabook a joy to use in terms of speed.

The connectivity is one of the most complete on the market for such machines. Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, three USB 3.0 ports including one that will charge mobile devices even when the machine will be in standby mode, an SDXC card-slot, HDMI output and audio input/output combo.

The screen is the real clincher here though, the 13.3″ display boasts a QHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels, similar to that of the Retina. This brings the display firmly into the league of the Retina and Chromebook Pixel. Among other things, the pixel density is 217 PPI, and is one of the highest in the market. Graphic side, you will find an Intel HD 4000 IGP chip clocked at 1.1 GHz. The Kirabook also comes with the option of being touch enabled, and all versions come with a beautiful backlit keyboard.

Finally, the Toshiba Kirabook claims a battery life of 8 hours, so if these specs are true then it will keep you going all day long if you leave your power pack at home. It will provide standard support Intel WiDi, two Harman/Kardon signed speakers, and two microphones including one for echo and background noise cancellation.

Software and availability

The Toshiba KiraBook will be released in the USA in mid-May for an oscillating price between of $1600 and $2000 depending on the model you choose. For comparison, the MacBook Pro Retina 13 is sold for between $1500 and $1700, but it is significantly thicker and heavier (1.9cm and 1.62kg). The Kirabook will come pre-loaded with Windows 8 Professional, running a slight Toshiba home overlay.

So what do you think of this massive blow from Toshiba? Do you think that KiraBook has a chance to compete with its rivals? Or is it all a case of too little too late? You know where to comment…