Intel Corp., the world’s largest chipmaker, is promoting a new type of thinner laptop called an ultrabook, seeing to help the personal-computer industry fend off a challenge from Apple Inc.’s iPad and other tablets, Bloomberg reported.

The new machines will be less than an inch thick, have days of battery life on standby, start up quickly and sell for less than $1,000, the company said. Intel is also developing new chips for tablet computers, and expects to have 35 tablets based on its chips on sale by the end of the year.