According to sales figure at Techno Mart, one of the biggest computer retail chains in the country, ultrabook models like Samsung NT530U4B and LG Xnote Z330-GE30K have led the utlrabook market whose whole sales figures have increased compared to last week after the market had been stagnant for a while. In fact, the popularity of tablet PCs had so far overshadowed ultrabooks in Korea.

However, the demands for ultrabooks, especially among college students and office workers are now increasing since ultrabooks, unlike tablet PCs, could satisfy the needs to work with office documents on the move. Another reason for ultrabooks’ rising popularity is that they have become more affordable due to reduced prices. In order to expand the ultrabook market, Intel has strengthened its marketing initiative supporting up to 70 percent of manufacturer’s marketing costs for their ultrabook models. Intel also set up a fund of US$300 million to boost the ultrabook market.

Among the ultrabooks being sold in Korea, Samsung Series 5 NT530U4B is most notable with its sales up 4 percent compared to last week. NT530U4B boasts high performance and great mobility, featuring Intel Sandy Bridge i5 and AMD Radeon HD7550 microprocessors and weighing only 1.79 kilograms with a full 14-inch screen.

LG X-Note Z330-GE30K and Toshiba Korea’s Portege Z830 PT224 are also popular models in the ultrabook market. An official at Techno Mart said, “As manufacturers have continuously enhanced ultrabooks’ weaknesses such as battery life and durability, there is a chance that ultrabooks could replace the entire notebook market in near future.”

Adrian Han (press@whowired.com)