General4.10.2012

Spike in sale of the top end i5 and i7 laptops

The Notebook Company, one of the country’s leading suppliers of notebooks and accessories, said there has been a spike in the sale of the top end Intel Core i5 and i 7 laptops during the past two months, posing the question whether or not this trend suggests that users are replacing their desktops with more powerful laptops – or whether it is evidence that increasingly mobile users are opting for more powerful laptops rather than tablets.

This is according to  Christopher Riley, CEO of  The Notebook Company – which also manages the Laptop.co.za and Notebook.co.za online retail sites.

“iPads are undoubtedly maintaining their popularity – and the Apple iPads are still, by far, our top sellers. But we are definitely seeing a spike in the sale of top end laptops, which is an interesting occurrence. It will be interesting to see how long this trend lasts. But our clients are certainly investing increasingly in more powerful laptops – particularly the i 5 and i 7.” In the meanwhile Apple is reportedly getting ready to announce its iPad Mini. Word in the press is that Asian suppliers have started production on the 7.85 inch tablet, with Apple possibly sending out invitations as soon as the 10th of October for the event – which has been pencil-marked for the 17th October.

Riley believes that due to the fact that Apple is announcing such a slew of products this year – including the Mini Pad and the new i Phone 5 – there is likely to be  a “modicum of cannibalism of Apple sales”.

But while some market commentators might think that Apple is introducing too many new products too soon, Riley believes the move is giving users more options, and is likely to increase the allure of the company – from an investment point of view – rather than decrease it.

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