Ultrabook sales on the rise as Windows-based notebook sales fall overall

ultrabook
Ultrabooks caused the average price of Windows notebooks to rise

Research from the NPD Group claims that Windows notebook sales were down overall in the first five months of 2012, while sales of just Ultrabooks have risen steadily.

Ultrabooks are relatively powerful, thin and light notebooks introduced by Intel in 2011 that often incorporate tablet features, such as touch screens.

Windows 8, back-to-school should provide boost

NPD predicts that the introduction of Windows 8 and the impending back-to-school shopping surge at the end of the summer will provide a much-needed boost to sales of Windows notebooks.

"As we head into the crucial back-to-school selling season, lower-cost Ultrabooks, some as low as $699, will be the hot form factor," Baker said in the report.

"As we look towards the fourth quarter, the expected launch of Windows 8, a wide variety of Ultrabooks with touch screens, and convertible form factors should continue to make this class of product top of mind with the consumer as well as provide a much needed revenue boost to the entire PC ecosystem."

NPD also blames Ultrabooks for causing the overall average price of Windows notebooks to rise by $13 year-on-year since 2011.

Via Engadget

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.