Apple sold 1.2M MacBook Airs over holidays, new models with Ivy Bridge loom

According to DigiTimes sources, Apple sold 1.2 million of its thin-and-light MacBook Air over the holiday buying season. These numbers are 200,000 more than Apple achieved in the September quarter. Thanks to MacBook Air sales, Apple became the only vendor that managed to maintain its total notebook shipments from the third quarter to the fourth of calendar 2011.

DigiTimes also claims that another strong performance for the MacBook Air comes as Apple is expected to refresh the ultraportable notebook line in the coming months with Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge processors. Apple PC competitors are doing their best to replicate MacBook Air success, and going to launch their own notebooks based on the "Ultrabook" specification from Intel. Lenovo, Acer and Toshiba reportedly plan to price comparable models $50 to $100 below Apple's MacBook Air pricing.

Acer has already unveiled the new Aspire S5 Ultrabook, touting it as "the world's thinnest Ultrabook," set to launch in the second quarter of 2012. The Aspire S5 will weigh in under 3 pounds, and is 15mm thick at its widest point, compared to 17mm for the MacBook Air. It will also feature a 13.3-inch screen, matching Apple's high-end model but not competing with the entry-level 11.6-inch MacBook Air.

"While details on pricing and specifications/configurations are still light, we believe the Aspire S5's ultra-thin and light form factor make it a solid entry in the Ultrabook category, especially if priced between ~$1,000-1300 as some media outlets are suggesting," Analyst Brian Marshall with ISI Group wrote.