Why your next laptop will be an Intel Ultrabook

Ultra-thin, ultra-light and ultra-fast, ultrabooks are on the rise and you’re buying.

Since the arrival of the iPad and the boom in tablets, laptops have had to up their game to try and compete. Taking a cue from ultra-portable and easy-to-use tablets, the new range of Intel Ultrabooks seems to be the answer to the laptop’s woes.

Because, while the rest of the laptop market shrinks, high-end ultrabook sales have been on the up.

Research from NPD Group indicates that budget laptops under $700 are losing sales while sales for laptops above this price are actually growing.

“Ultrabooks have helped establish a market for more premium-priced Windows notebooks at retail,” said NPD’s Vice President of Industry Analysis Stephen Baker. “The share of sales that the $700+ notebook segment represents jumped from about 12 percent in 2011 to nearly 14 percent in 2012 as a result of the solid market acceptance ultrabooks have gained.”

Most surprising of all is the increase in sales of $900+ laptops, soaring by a huge 39 percent. With eyes on the launch of Windows 8 later in 2012 it’s expected that Windows 8 Ultrabooks sporting touchscreens and even thinner designs will help push sales even higher.

You might also like to read:

• Is Microsoft’s Surface tablet worth waiting for?
• The HP Ultrabook Envy Spectre XT and new Pavilions revealed
• New Acer Aspire M3 Ultrabook
• How to preserve your laptop battery
• Tablet, netbook or Ultrabook: which one is right for you?