In the world of ultra-thin laptop computers, Apple is currently enjoying a healthy lead in terms of sales. But Intel, along with its posse of Ultrabook makers, is trying to make sure that it’s the PC camp that has the last laugh. By the third quarter of 2012, it is widely expected that the second-generation Ultrabooks from the likes of Acer, Dell, Toshiba, and Asus are going to come out, and the likely outcome is that current ultra-thin models such as Apple’s MacBook Air are going to get no attention from consumers whatsoever.

Is Apple concerned about this kind of thing happening at all? Does it have a plan for when the next-generation Ultrabooks do come out and knock it off the top spot of the ultra-thin notebook market? Well, if a report on the Chinese DigiTimes is to be believed, then Apple does know its sales of the MacBook Air will be affected by second-gen Ultrabooks, and it does indeed have a plan for when that happens. Apple’s plan? Issue a MacBook Air price cut that will bring it down to only $799.

This information is taken by DigiTimes from unnamed sources “from the upstream supply chain.” If you think about it, this kind of move by Apple actually makes sense, since $799 is about the same price as most Ultrabooks that are available nowadays. Unless Intel gets the price down for the second-generation models in time, a MacBook Air at that price point is going to kill Ultrabook sales. For a while, at least. It’s not known whether there is even any truth to this information or not, but if it really is true, it’s a certainly workable strategy for Apple, albeit only a temporary one.

Intel is really making its money (over $300 million of it so far) work hard to make the Ultrabook category rise to the top of the notebook market, and adoption can only speed up once Windows 8 comes out during the later part of the year. Apple needs to think of other ways to woo consumers beginning in the 3rd quarter of this year if it wants to maintain its level of MacBook Air sales.

Via DigiTimes

Apple to counter Ultrabook assault by outing $799 MacBook Air in Q3 2012? is a post from: Eee PC

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Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-book reader is now available in a Wi-Fi only version for $149. Alongside its official announced, Barnes & Noble also cut the price down of the Nook 3G to just $199. Both e-book reader versions are pretty much the same, and boast 3.5-inch color LCD screens for navigation coupled with a 6-inch E-ink display for reading e-books (Barnes & Noble says there are over one million titles available right now, with sample free e-books being given away for free). Both the Nook 3G and the Nook Wi-Fi can connect wirelessly to Barnes & Noble Wi-Fi networks for free and starting today, all AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots as well. The main difference between the two is that the Nook Wi-Fi can only connect to wireless networks via Wi-Fi, while the Nook 3G can do that either through Wi-Fi or through 3G. Barnes & Noble has also released a new software update for all Nook devices, which may include improved reading features.

Barnes & Noble Via TechCrunch

Barnes & Noble Nook Wi-Fi e-reader introduced at $149, 3G model dropped to $199 is a post from: Eee PC

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Research firm DisplaySearch has just released new pricing data which shows price drops in LCD TV and netbook screens. According to DisplaySearch’s new pricing data, the price of 10.x-inch netbook panels have decreased during the second half of March, along with prices of 37-inch-and-above LCD TV panels.

$2 USD is how much DisplaySearch says 10.x-inch netbooks screens have cheapened over the last two weeks, and while this may not seem significant to owners/buyers of new netbooks, it certainly does contribute to the overall price. On a related note, DigiTimes reports that demand for 8.9-inch widescreen panels on netbooks has dropped sharply, perhaps due to the proliferation of 10-inch screen netbooks in the market lately.

Via DigiTimes

Demand for 8.9-inch screens on netbooks weaken, 10-inchers drop in price is a post from: Eee PC

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Old netbook models are inevitably going to drop in prices, and this is currently the case in Taiwan, albeit it’s not because of the typical reason one might expect. Instead of dropping prices for their netbooks solely due to the increasing number of new models and reduced component cost, both Asus and Acer are issuing price cuts for their SSD-based netbooks because of their built-in SSDs. SSD adoption isn’t as hot as it used to anymore, and the hard drive remains the premier choice for large and affordable storage on netbooks. Due to this price drop, the Acer Aspire One with 8GB SSD costs only $202 USD while the 20GB SSD-equipped Asus Eee PC 701 goes for $260.

Via Electronic Pulp

Prices of SSD-based Acer and Asus netbooks dropping in Taiwan is a post from: Eee PC

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