Research outfit DRAMeXchange believes Intel won’t manage to hit its shipment targets anytime soon. Although Intel hopes ultrabooks will make up about 40 percent of all notebook shipments, DRAMeXchange doesn’t see that happening before 2015. Some punters question whether ultrabooks will survive that long as an independent product category, since three years are more than enough to blur the line between various product categories.
DRAMeXchange estimates ultrabooks will make up about 2 percent of Intel notebook shipments in 2011, but they should gain a bit more traction next year and seize about 10 percent of the market. The share is projected to grow to 20 and 30 percent in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
However, DRAMeXchange points out that ultrabooks will help revive the notebook market. With the advent of Windows 8 and seasonal market cycles, ultrabooks could help bring back some life to an otherwise dull market. In addition, the need for fancy lithium polymer batteries, ultrathin screens and solid state storage could bring down prices of these exotic components, benefiting consumers in all market segments.
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