First-tier notebook brand vendors Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and Asustek Computer, understanding that demand for notebooks is unlikely to recover in the fourth quarter, while Apple’s products are taking up all the glory in the market, will limit their initial Ultrabook shipment volume to below 50,000 units for testing the water, according to sources from notebook makers.
In short: Apple is making profits which it is in turn using to screw PC manufacturers by getting better deals from suppliers. And some people are wondering why HP is trying to get out of their PC business.