MacBook Air continues to crush ultrabooks

A new report suggests that Apple continues to control the majority of the “thin-and-light” laptop market. According to data from market research firm NPD Group, per CNET, the MacBook Air dominated the category during the first five months of the year, capturing 56% of thin-and-light laptop sales in the United States. Ultrabooks from a wide range of PC vendors made up the remaining 44%. Apple is expected to continue its dominance with the release of new MacBook Air models, which have been praised for their improved processors and impressive battery life. Microsoft and its manufacturing partners don’t plan to go down quietly, however. Companies such as HP, Sony, Samsung and Lenovo plan to bring a variety of touch-enabled laptop-tablet hybrids running the new Windows 8.1 operating system to the market in the coming months.