Ultrabooks stirring up lightweight notebook market

The lightweight notebook market is primed for some changes in 2012, as the continued growth of the Ultrabook™ computer causes a significant shift in the market hierarchy.

According to a Computerworld report, analyst Brian Marshall of International Strategy Investment Group (ISI) recently revealed that Apple's MacBook Air® has accounted for 89 percent of the lightweight notebook market. While the total number of units sold is expected to climb in 2012, the Air's market share will "plummet" with the emergence of Windows-based Ultrabooks.

Research firm IHS iSuppli estimates that the Ultrabook will account for 13 percent of all notebooks shipped in 2012, up from 2 percent in 2011. This could put a sizable dent in Apple's hold on the market. According to Marshall, Apple's share of the lightweight notebook market will drop to 46 percent in 2012, Computerworld reports.

The MacBook Air isn't an Ultrabook in the strictest sense, but it does share a number of the same features, including weighing less than three pounds, a full-sized keyboard, at least an 11-inch screen and a reliance on solid-state device storage. Marshall asserts that no single manufacturer will overtake Apple in the lightweight notebook market next year, but HP and Lenovo® will be the closest contenders, according to Computerworld.