Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) looks poised to sell an increasing number of its ultraportable MacBook Air laptops over the next few years, with projected sales of 8.4 million in 2012 and 10.4 million in 2013. In spite of that however, expect its market share to reduce as PC makers churn out competing devices based on the Windows operating system.

According to Brian Marshall of International Strategy & Investment Group, the MacBook Air accounts for some 49 percent of all laptop sales for Apple for Q3 2011.

So will the launch of new ultrabook laptops threaten Apple? Analyst Mark Moskowitz thinks that ultrabooks are not a competitive threat at the moment. According to CNET News, Moskowitz said: "In general, we think that ultrabooks are highly discretionary devices, and pricing on competitive offerings must fall below $800 before posing a viable threat to Apple's MacBook Air."

Of course, the fascination over market share and price points neglects the usability (or lack thereof) of the new ultrabooks. It remains to be seen whether their slightly slower processors will yield similar performance to the MacBook Airs, or prove to be good enough.

For more:
- check out this article at Computerworld
- check out this article at CNET News

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