Ultrabook uncertainty for component makers

Component makers have been reported to be worried by the demand for this new form of laptop not kicking in and sales taking off, and a run of parts made for one particular Ultrabook most probably cannot be used in another. That equals waste and loss for the component manufacturer if they have any inventories built up. Reducing the run size increases cost and makes Ultrabooks more expensive and accordingly less popular - a viscous business circle. This is another illustration in economics how expectations are so important to outcomes.

The tablet field we have the same problems

In the tablet field we have the same problems, clients want thinner, lighter, but more powerful systems and some parts have to be custom made to fit particular models. Here there is the added dimension of competing chipsets for Windows devices - Wintel or WoA.

However news just in from Lite-On regarding the possible revenue from Ultrabooks is very positive. The company suffered a significant income slump in 2011 due to the Thai floods. But citing growth of cloud computing, smartphones and Ultrabooks, positive US economic data as then as the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, Lite-On see lots of possibility for earnings to pick up in 2012.