Ultrabooks were meant to be the next big thing, but I really think they were released too early and should've waited for Windows 8. But, the number of Ultrabooks to be shipped by the end of the year is now said to be estimated at just half as previous estimates.

IHS iSuppli's latest report, just 10.3 million Ultrabooks will be shipped by the end of 2012, compared to the previous estimate of 22 million. The report states that "nebulous marketing and unappealing price" are the two biggest factors behind slumping Ultrabook sales. iSuppli specifically points out Intel's constantly changing definition of what is, and what is not an Ultrabook as a perfect example of poor marketing.

As for price, IHS iSuppli says that Ultrabooks are too expensive at the $1,000 price point, and will only see surging numbers if they drop $200-$300 from this price. I think we're going to see a surge when Windows 8 comes out, and instead of just thinner notebooks (because that's mainly what an Ultrabook is), we'll see tablet hybrids, touch-screen Ultrabooks, higher-res displays, and more.