While Windows-powered “ultrabooks” have yet to really make a splash in the market, Apple is reportedly considering a move that could further limit their appeal as vendors prepare a second wave of less expensive ultrabook models. Citing unnamed sources within Apple’s supply chain, Digitimes on Monday reported that Apple is readying a new entry-level MacBook Air model that could launch in the third quarter this year. Details are extremely limited, though it is presumed that the notebook will be an updated 11-inch model that could launch around the same time as Apple’s new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, which are expected to become available some time this summer. Apple may reveal the new model during its annual Worldwide Developer Conference, which begins on June 11th.

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NPD Group on Thursday released the results of its Apple Ecosystem Study, which suggests that almost 25% of U.S. iPad owners are first-time Apple buyers. The firm’s data, as reported by AppleInsider, indicated that 33% of U.S. households own Apple products, with a majority owning an iPod. That number is growing beyond the 37 million American households the Cupertino-based company’s products are already found in, thanks to Apple’s flagship tablet. “iPad sales are growing much faster than any other Apple product has this soon after launch,” said Ben Arnold, director of industry analysis at NPD. “In fact, one-in-five Apple owner households has one — nearly equivalent to the number that own an Apple computer. This demonstrates the appeal of both the new form factor and Apple’s app ecosystem.” The study found that six out of ten homes with a Mac also own a Windows PC, and nearly 30% of so-called “Apple enthusiasts” own a smartphone other than the iPhone. The data comes from a survey NPD conducted in February of more than 3,000 consumers.

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J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz has made “significant increases” to both his iPhone and iPad sales projections for the first quarter of 2012, raising his price target on Apple stock from $625 to $715, Apple Insider reported on Tuesday. The analyst previously estimated that Apple would ship 28.1 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2012, however he now believes shipments will reach 31.1 million units. Full-year iPhone shipments for 2012 are now expected to total 138.2 million units. Moskowitz thinks Apple’s next-generation smartphone will launch in the second half of 2012 and include a “thinner body and LTE capability.” He projects iPad shipments to reach 13.8 million in the first quarter, up from his earlier estimate of 10.1 million units, and his full-year shipment estimate was raised to 69.6 million tablets, up from 59.8 million. Apple will also “refresh its MacBook portfolio, including the Air, in the next three months,” Moskowitz wrote in his note to investors. He continued by saying that the company needs to improve its specifications and features while introducing lower price points to stay ahead of the “Ultrabook crowd.”

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There’s no going back to a standard-resolution display after using the new iPad, the iPhone 4 and 4S, or any one of a number of Android phones with qHD or better resolution, and Apple may be preparing to create a similar experience with its notebook computers. Apple’s next-generation MacBook line of laptops could feature high-definition Retina displays according to a recent report from Ars Technica. MacBooks with high-resolution Retina displays could launch as soon as this summer according to the site’s sources, one of which found double-sized graphics in the most recent preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. ”I would interpret it to mean that Retina [MacBook] is close; perhaps concurrent with the release of OS X 10.8,” the unnamed source said. Apple is expected to launch an updated line of laptop computers this summer, including thinner 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros.

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Following multiple reports claiming Apple was working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to develop a new 15-inch MacBook Air, it now looks as though the rumored slim 15-inch laptop is part of a redesigned MacBook line that will also include a 13-inch model. Citing unnamed sources within Apple’s supply chain, DigiTimes on Friday reported that new thinner MacBook Pro laptops have entered production and shipments could begin as soon as this month. Monthly yield is expected to initially fall between 100,000 and 150,000 units, but the site claims shipments will soon climb to 900,000 units. Details are scare beyond the thinner case, and no launch time frame was provided. An earlier report suggested Apple’s slimmer 15-inch notebook will launch in April.

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How To Arena on Thursday cited a “reliable source in the Far East Asian supply chain” who claims Apple is planning to release a new, thinner 15-inch MacBook Pro by the end of April. The rumor corresponds with a report from Wednesday and an earlier rumor from DigiTimes. The reports differ in one key area, however, with confusion surrounding whether the 15-inch model will be an ultra-thin MacBook Pro with Air-like features or a 15-inch MacBook Air model. According to How To Arena‘s source, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro will be powered by Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 processors, and will be “thicker than currently available MacBook Airs but thinner than MacBook Pros.” A late April launch jibes with earlier rumors, and Intel plans to unveil its new 22nm Ivy Bridge processors “on or around” April 8th.

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Apple is reportedly planning to launch a new 15-inch MacBook Air notebook PC in April. The report from Electricpig cites a “premium Mac accessory maker,” who claims a new 15-inch model will feature ports on both sides, with no optical drive or Ethernet port. A 15-inch Air model has been rumored before — DigiTimes previously reported that a 15-inch model was slated to launch in the first quarter of 2012 alongside a new 11-inch and 13-inch model. The Taiwanese publication, however, has also reported that an ultra-thin 15-inch MacBook with Air-like features would launch in the second quarter this year.

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Apple is said to currently be considering the launch of a new MacBook Air notebook PC with a 14-inch display. Citing unnamed sources within Apple’s supply chain, DigiTimes on Wednesday reported that Apple is considering a 14-inch ultra-slim laptop computer to better address consumers in China, where 14-inch models have between 35% and 40% of the portable computer market. The site had previously reported that Apple is working on a 15-inch MacBook Air model, a claim that a number of other reports have mirrored. DigiTimes first reported that Apple will launch the 15-inch Air in the second quarter this year, but then issued a new report two weeks later stating that the 15-inch model was slated to launch in the first quarter of 2012 alongside new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models. It is unclear if DigiTimes is now suggesting that Apple will launch a 14-inch model in China and a 15-inch model for the rest of the world, or if the company is considering replacing the previously-rumored 15-inch model with a slightly smaller laptop.

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Apple deviated from its standard closed-door approach to unveiling new software earlier this week and gave a number of media outlets early access to an upcoming version of its OS X operating system for Macs. Apple’s OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will launch this summer, featuring a wide range of enhancements that will see Apple’s desktop platform look and behave more like its mobile platform. Executives from the Cupertino, California-based technology giant even met with reporters personally to demonstrate the new software, perhaps in an effort to help foster the same type of enthusiasm for OS X that iOS enjoys. During one such meeting with The Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook shed some light on the PC industry from Apple’s point of view. Read on for more.

From the dawn of the personal computing era, Apple and Microsoft have been huge platform rivals. The companies traded blows over the years and drove innovation that caused the PC industry to grow at a remarkable pace. According to Apple’s new chief executive, however, those days are over.

“I don’t really think anything Microsoft does puts pressure on Apple,” Cook told The Wall Street Journal, raising the question of whether or not the world’s most valuable company even views Microsoft as a rival anymore.

Rivals put constant pressure on each other, driving one another to raise the bar and innovate. With Apple’s core business having shifted to mobile and Microsoft just beginning to regain its footing in the mobile market, it makes sense that Apple’s attention has shifted elsewhere. And with dozens of patent complaints having been filed by Apple around the world against Google’s Android partners, it’s safe to say we know where Apple’s focus has shifted.

Cook wouldn’t say much about Apple’s future plans for its Mac PCs, but he did suggest that the rest of the industry is trailing behind Apple and struggling to catch up. In particular, the executive sees the MacBook Air as a huge accomplishment that the rest of the industry is now trying to duplicate. ”Now, you see the industry at large trying to copy it in some way, but they’ll find that it is not so easy,” the CEO told The Journal.

Apple is expected to launch updated MacBook Air notebooks in the coming months, including a brand new 15-inch model.

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show had record attendance and a number of terrific products unveiled during various CES press conferences should make waves when they hit the market later this year. A dark cloud loomed over the show, however, and the staggering number of ultra-slim notebook PCs and voice-controlled HDTVs on display in Las Vegas last week made it clear that companies are gearing up to do battle with one competitor in particular. Read on for more.

In a note to investors sent Tuesday, Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley notes that despite the company’s absence from the CES 2012 show floor, Apple’s presence was absolutely felt.

“While Apple did not attend CES, its leading market position was evident as competitors introduced new Ultrabook and LTE smartphone products targeted to compete with Apple’s strong product portfolio,” Walkley wrote. “Despite increasing competition, we believe Apple is well positioned for a very strong C2012 driven by new products, including the pending refresh of MacBook Air (featuring a new 15-inch model), the iPad 3 launching this spring, the LTE iPhone 5 likely mid-year, and potentially Apple TV exiting C2012.”

Apple is widely expected to launch an iOS-powered HDTV product later this year that replaces the standard remote control with voice commands courtesy of Siri, Apple’s digital personal assistant. Earlier reports suggested that Apple will launch its new “iTV” this summer, but Walkley claims the Cupertino, California-based company will release its first television toward the end of 2012.

Walkley also sees Apple launching an “iPhone 5″ with embedded 4G LTE connectivity toward the middle of 2012, though we have been told that a redesigned next-generation iPhone won’t hit the market until this coming fall.

Regarding ultrabooks, the analyst sees PC vendors struggling while new MacBook Air laptops from Apple, including a 15-inch model, help Apple gain PC share in 2012. “While Ultrabooks grabbed many of the headlines at CES, we view Ultrabooks as a Windows alternative to MacBook Air,” Walkley wrote in his research note on Tuesday. “We believe Apple will continue to gain PC market share by launching a refreshed MacBook Air line in the coming weeks, including a new 15-inch version. Further, we believe Ultrabooks at proposed $700-$900 prices will struggle to sell versus competitively priced new MacBook products, as we believe Apple will continue to benefit from its supply chain advantages such as dominant share of the global NAND flash market given growing volumes for iPhones and iPads.”

Walkley reiterated his Buy rating on Apple stock with a price target of $560.

When counting tablets as personal computers, Apple will soon overtake Hewlett-Packard as the world’s top PC vendor. Based on a Fortune poll of 42 analysts, iPad sales could hit the 14 million mark in the fourth quarter, a big bump over the 11.12 million sold in the third quarter. Apple previously sold 4.89 million Macs, with holiday sales estimated to exceed 5 million units. When combined, both iPad and Mac sales are expected to be over 20 million units during the holiday quarter, which would be enough to push Apple past HP. The estimated sales would give the Cupertino-based company a 17.6% market share versus HP’s 13%. Asymco’s Horace Dediu noted that Apple has never held the top spot; the company’s market share peaked at 15.8% thanks to the Apple II in 1984. Last quarter, Apple surprised Wall Street when the company announced lower-than-expected earnings, however Apple is expected to crush estimates when it announces its December-quarter earnings on January 24th.

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Following the early successes of its of 11-inch and 13-inch ultrabooks, Acer has reportedly decided to build a brand new 15-inch ultrabook that may dramatically undercut the price of Apple’s rumored 15-inch MacBook Air. DigiTimes said Wednesday that Acer has already contracted Pegratron to build the new computer, and that the device could be priced as low as $699 — $300 cheaper than the entry-level 11-inch MacBook Air. The latest rumors suggest that Apple could be prepared to deliver its 15-inch MacBook Air to the market as soon as the first quarter next year and that the device is already in the early stages of production. It is unclear when Acer’s new ultrabook will launch.

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Apple has reportedly completed its acquisition of Israel-based flash memory firm Anobit in a deal worth up to $500 million. Hebrew-language financial newspaper Calcalist on Tuesday claimed that a deal had been reached after reporting earlier this month that Apple was in late-stage talks to buy the fabless chip maker. Apple has not confirmed the acquisition. Anobit’s website says its proprietary technology “significantly improves endurance, performance and cost of flash storage products and systems,” and Apple already uses Anobit’s chips in a number of its mobile devices and notebook computers.

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LG on Monday unveiled a familiar looking laptop that falls into Intel’s much-touted new ultrabook category, the Xnote Z330. With the shape of a MacBook Air and the color scheme of a MacBook Pro, the LG Xnote Z330 is a 13.3-inch notebook that boots Windows 7 in less than 10 seconds thanks to “Rapid Start Technology.” The Z330 is even thinner that Apple’s MacBook Air at its thinnest point, and it weighs in at just 2.7 pounds. Spec highlights include a 1.6GHz Core i5 or a 1.7GHz Core i7 processor, a 120GB or 256GB SSD, 4GB of RAM, HD graphics, WiDi wireless display technology and an HDMI-out port. Battery life is rated at more than six hours, and the base model starts at just over $1,500 while the fully loaded model costs more than $2,300. Additional images and specs follow below.

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Apple is reportedly planning to launch a brand new 15-inch MacBook Air in the first quarter next year. A new report from DigiTimes cites unnamed sources from within Apple’s parts suppliers in claiming that Apple will launch a completely refreshed MacBook Air lineup in early 2012. Consisting of 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch and 15-inch models, the new Air line of MacBook laptops is already in the early stages of production according to the report. DigiTimes also says Apple will drop its pricing on current MacBook Air laptops before the new models launch some time next quarter. The site had previously reported that Apple intends to launch its new 15-inch MacBook Air in the second quarter next year.

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