The ultraportable notebook market has been dominated recently by Apple, who has scored a huge sales hit with its MacBook Air. Computerworld.com reports that according to a prediction by an analyst, Apple's share of the ultraportable notebook market will be reduced greatly in 2012 thanks to a large number of Windows-powered products based on Intel's Ultrabook design.
The report, written by Brian Marshall of International Strategy and Investment Group, predicts that Apple will sell 8.4 million MacBook Air notebooks in 2012 and 10.4 million of the laptops in 2013. Marshall believes Apple's current share of the ultraportable notebook category is currently at 89 percent. Ultraportable, in this case, means a notebook that weighs under three pounds, uses an SSD for storage and a screen with the size of at least 11 inches.
Marshall believes that the number of Ultrabooks, all using Microsoft's Windows, that will be released in the next year will cause Apple's share of the ultraportable market to go down to 46 percent in 2012 and a mere 32 percent in 2013. However he added that none of the PC makers will beat Apple individually.
Pricing for those Ultrabooks will be a key factor with Marshall saying, "Success hinges on reaching mainstream notebook PC prices close to $700, or 30 percent below the base 11.6-in. MacBook Air model at $999."
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