Apple Macbook Air targets Ultrabooks in 2012

Apple may be pitting its MacBook Air slim laptop series against the Ultrabooks from PC vendors in 2012, a Taiwan-based tech site reported.

 

DigiTimes cited sources from the upstream supply chain who said the MacBook Air notebooks will have panel sizes of 11.6, 13.3, and 15 inches, and will be available first quarter of 2012.

 

It also quoted its sources as saying upstream players have already started pilot production of the MacBook Air models and will add a 15-inch model in the ultra-thin notebook market.

 

However, it said ultrabooks with Microsoft’s Windows and document processing software will still likely be more attractive for the enterprise market.

 

On the other hand, DigiTimes said its sources from retail channels indicated Apple may start dropping the price of its existing MacBook Airs before launching its series.

 

Such a promotion may further boost Apple’s share in the global notebook market, it added.

 

DigiTimes noted several retailers in the US and Europe have dropped their MacBook Air prices to attract consumers for the holidays.

 

It cited online shopping site MacMall, where an 11.6-inch 64-GB MacBook Air’s price dropped from $999 to $939.94, while Best Buy is offering the same model at an even lower price of $849.99.

 

Other models such as the 128-GB version 11.6-inch MacBook Air and 128-GB/256-GB 13.3-inch models are being offered with a discount of $79 to 101, it added. — TJD, GMA News