It seems as if Apple’s sleek and sexy MacBook Air is making the competition look rather unattractive in comparison.
According to DigiTimes, Intel’s Ultrabooks are “struggling” against Apple’s flagship laptop, forcing both Acer and Asus to reduce orders by up to 40 percent.
The two companies originally planned to order approximately 300,000 Ultrabooks by the end of 2011 – but were apparently prompted by slow sales to reduce the number to 150,000-180,000 units.
“Compared to Apple’s MacBook Air, Acer and Asustek’s ultrabooks do not have advantages either in performance or industrial design, and so their weak sales were expected,” claimed DigiTimes.
“[As such], notebook players are putting their focus on after May 2012 with expectations to see surging demand in October 2012, when Windows 8 launches.”
As AppleInsider’s Sam Oliver notes, a number of Ultrabooks currently carry a higher price tag than typical low-cost PC models, with the Asus Zenbook weighing in at $1,100, compared to Apple’s 11.6-inch entry-level MacBook Air which starts at $999.
Although manufacturers have labeled first-month sales of Ultrabook Windows-based PCs “unsatisfactory,” IHS analyst Matthew Wilkins believes shipments of ultrabooks will represent 43% of global notebook PC shipments in 2015, up from a mere 2% in 2011, 13% in 2012, 28% in 2013 and 38% in 2014.
