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Why Ultrabook sales have flopped so far—and why that could change

When Intel announced Ultrabooks a year ago, the chip maker predicted that these thin and light laptops would account for 40 percent of the consumer market by the end of 2012, writes Jared Newman for PC World—but according to Gartner, Ultrabooks have hardly made a dent in the now-stagnant PC market.

“This segment is still in an early adopter’s stage,” Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa said in a press release.

“It’s no surprise that the first wave of Ultrabooks hasn’t saved the PC market from slumping sales. Early models were expensive, with the best Ultrabooks priced well over $1,000, and the cheapest ones priced around $900,” Newman writes. “But now, I think the worst days for Ultrabook sales have come to pass. As my colleague Melanie Pinola recently noted, cheaper Ultrabooks are hitting the market, with starting prices between $600 and $800. … And of course, the October launch of Windows 8 will bring a new lineup of Ultrabook-tablet hybrids.”

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