Is the MacBook line in trouble? From January to November 2012, Apple had a 2.6 percent share of unit sales according to the NPD Group. Fast-forward that data a year and Apple's unit sales dropped to 1.6 percent. Apple could never compete with Windows laptops when it came to amount of units sold, but its profit margins were a hell of a lot better. What's surprising is that Google's line of laptops, called "Chromebooks," has overtaken Apple's sales, despite hardly registering on the NPD chart a year ago. With 9.6 percent of all total unit sales (compared to 0.2 percent a year ago), "Chromebooks" seem to be appealing to consumers.
Chromebooks are for the most part vastly cheaper than Apple's least expensive laptop model, theMacBook Air. Each Chromebook generally costs $249 or $299. Should Apple make the MacBook Air, which starts at $999, more affordable for the masses? Any worries Apple fanatics might have about declining Mac sales, though, haven't taken one thing into account: cannibalization. Apple Inc.'s own iPad line is largely responsible for the dip in its laptop sales. iPads account for the most tablet and laptop sales (besides Windows-based machines) on NPD's chart.
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