What’s in Store for Laptops in 2012?

Tablets are very much ‘of the moment’ but experts warn us not to write off the humble laptop just yet. It seems 2012 could see a revival with longer battery life and new lightweight designs.

Chromebooks and Ultrabooks to storm market in 2012

Dixons has forecasted that in a year’s time, at least one in every ten computer sales will be a Google Chromebook.

Despite being released all the way back in May, Chromebooks are yet to fly off the shelves – with many experts citing a lack of appealing features as the main reason. However, Mark Slater, who is computing category director at Dixons, has claimed that could all change within the next year as the market evolves to suit the features that Chromebooks offer.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, he said: “We see computing evolving as we go into next year with the emergence of Chrome as an operating system and the ease of use of cloud storage making it a credible alternative to the established world of Microsoft and Apple. I believe that Chrome could be circa 10 per cent of our computing business this time next year…”

Ultrabooks expected from Sony, Samsung and Dell

Other predictions from Cross included that new laptops would have significantly better battery life – thanks to the imminent development of Ivy Bridge computer chips – and that the launch of Windows 8 will also encourage a lot of consumers to invest in new laptops in 2012.

Additionally, computing journalist Jason Cross has predicted that Intel’s new lightweight Ultrabooks could also make a significant impact on the computer sales market next year. In an article for pcworld.com, he revealed that major brands such as Sony, Samsung and Dell would be likely to release an Ultrabook model within the next year.

He concluded: “Tablets and smartphones are in, but don’t count laptops out. Impressive new laptops planned for 2012 promise to be thinner, lighter and faster, as well as to carry longer-lasting batteries.”