A quad-core Windows 8 laptop more ultra than an ultrabook?

Can a quad-core Windows 8 laptop be as thin as an iPad? That's the design Qualcomm is aiming for. But we've heard this story before.
The San Diego-based chip supplier anticipates superthin laptops running Windows 8 on top of its Snapdragon chips, according to a report in PC World.
It's certainly an enticing idea: Laptops lighter and thinner than even Intel-based ultrabooks -- an idea also put forward by Nvidia, which already supplies its well-received quad-core Tegra 3 processor to Asus for its Tranformer Prime tablet.

At a macro level, this is about ARM versus Intel on Windows 8, which will be compatible with both chip technologies. More specifically, it's about the camp of chip suppliers, like Qualcomm and Nvidia, that use a power-efficient silicon design versus performance-centric Intel.
The argument goes something like this: ARM-based laptops can be thinner and lighter than an ultrabook because power-sipping ARM processors don't require fans (Intel-based ultrabooks do).
Qualcomm made a similar argument a couple of years ago, in fact. At that time, it made a lot of noise about Linux-based "smartbooks." And Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs even "announced" one from Lenovo -- which never saw the light of day, by the way. Nor did any smartbook.