Thanks to iPad and other tablets, Netbooks are on their way to oblivion. The computer industry, however, is trying to fight the down
slide with the introduction of leaner and meaner laptops aka Ultrabooks, which would be loosely fashioned around Apple's MacBook Air. But, now it looks like that the industry's latest attempt is also going to be a big fiasco.
A few companies like Asus and Acer have already launched their ultrabooks, which have met with mild response and consequently these companies have now slashed their orders by 40 percent. According to DigiTimes, the orders earlier stood in the range of 250,000 and 300,000, and now have been cut down to the range of 150,000 and 180,000.
The report also stated that the new Windows based Ultrabooks do not compete well with Apple MacBook Air. However, the industry is still trying to maintain its optimism as the report states, "Notebook players are putting their focus on after May 2012 with expectations to see surging demand in October 2012, when Windows 8 launches.”
There are quite a few factors behind the sluggish performance of the category. Ultrabooks by Acer and Asus have been priced in te vicinity of $1,000, which is not a very attractive price point. However, Intel is now planning to change the trend by introducing Ultrabooks in sub-$1,000 range. However, this strategy is not translating well in reality. Apple's MacBook Air, on the other hand, is thriving well.