They apparently prefer 15-inch notebooks, or larger machines

Feb 15, 2012 11:02 GMT  ·  By

Though Intel is loath to admit it, Ultrabooks have sold poorly, with only 20% of the global notebook sales being accounted for by them.

Intel hoped for 30% or 40%, and still does, but there doesn't seem to be much chance of this hope becoming reality.

According to Taiwanese product makers, the reason for all this is the behavior of European customers towards the machines.

Long story short, people on the old continent aren't very impressed by the idea of a super-thin laptop that costs a small fortune.

As such, they gravitate more towards full-fledged notebook with screen sizes of 15 inches or more.

At this point, if companies really want to get into Europeans' good graces, they will have to make 15-inch ultrabooks with prices that don't threaten to leave a hole in one's finances the size of a house.