14 DAY TRIAL // Companies may still want to make and sell ultrabooks, but price is no longer the only problem, as something akin to component scarcity is showing its fangs as well.
Once again it becomes clear that lawsuits, regardless of how valid (or how much sense the supposedly infringed patents make) aren't the only way for Apple to hinder the livelihood of other products.
Not that Apple is actually doing anything to ultrabooks directly, of course.
Still, the Cupertino company, not for the first time, seems to be snatching away most of the component supply that would, ordinarily, serve other products as well, in this case ultrabooks.
Based on this particular report, Apple has ordered so many unibody aluminum chassis parts that Ultrabook makers don't have enough left.
The largest supplier of such things, Catcher Technology, is dealing with a production halt in its Chinese plant.
With this to reduce its output capacity, it chose to favor Apple over other vendors, for whatever reason.
As such, companies who want to make the desired number of ultrabooks have to settle for other components.
High-density fiberglass is one so-called 'solution' while others are switching to ultrabook cases made of plastic with Aluminum only on the outside.
At least there is a silver lining in all this, namely a better cost advantage for these 'hybrid' models, as well as for fiberglass chassis.
Nevertheless, it is still no good news that the new laptop type is running into yet another problem, especially so close to the holidays.
There is also the matter of 30 to 50 different Ultrabook models supposedly on track for CES 2012 release.
Knowing that vendors will want to send out thousands of each, there really isn't much choice but to go ahead and try other materials, at least until all these temporary issues get overcome.