Late last week Intel published a blog post where the company outlined their plans for the new class of mobile computing known as the ultrabook.

The post begins by arguing the computing industry is at something of a crossroads, or in the nomenclature of CEO Andy Grove, a “strategic inflection point”. Intel wants to embrace this shift towards mobile computing, and the ultrabook — a tablet when you want it, a PC when you need it according to Intel – will be the vehicle in which they embrace this change.

According to the blog post, the ultrabook rollout will come in three phases:

Phase 1 (June 2011 – 2012): Phase 1 was kicked off when Intel introduced its latest Ultra-Low Voltage 2nd Generation Intel Core processors in June that will bring new systems to shelves this holiday season.

Phase 2 (2012-2013): Centers around the next generation of Intel micro-architecture, code-named Ivy Bridge, with processors scheduled for availability in systems in the first half of 2012. Faster I/O such as USB 3 and Thunderbolt technologies are also part of Intel’s ongoing work to drive the PC platform forward.

Phase 3 (2013): Intel micro-architecture dubbed Haswell. Accelerating the Ultrabook and reinventing the capabilities of the laptop in sleek systems.

One of the other selling points of the ultrabook that Intel has promoted is battery life. The sleekest units will offer at least 5 hours, with some offering up to 8 hours or more.