Though you may not be getting an ultrabook anytime soon, its sales are expected to explode in the next five years. It is estimated that by 2016, ultrabooks will comprise 47 percent of all notebook sales.

The report, published by GBI Research, a company that provides business intelligence reports and key industry insights, showed that 1.3 million ultrabooks were sold in 2011. Technological advances and a drop in component prices are expected to drive the Compound Annual Growth Rate of 109 percent by 2016 to reach 148.7 million units.

Ultrabooks are a group of notebooks defined by their thin, light bodies and generally shorter boot-up times relative to typical notebooks. As cloud-based systems like the Google’s cloud storage services and Apple’s (News - Alert) iCloud services gain popularity, ultrabooks are expected to become more prevalent as they defy the need for a traditional hard drive or other current storage media.

Component price reductions, especially for microprocessors and flash memory – while production capacity for screens and casings continues to increase – are expected to push the price of ultrabooks even lower, from around $1,000 to anywhere below $510 by 2016. This year alone, about 1.55 million ultrabooks units are expected to be purchased in the U.S., the biggest consumer market for these devices. 

The U.S. market currently accounts for 42 percent of the global ultrabooks market.

Within the next five years, a shift in the ultrabooks market should occur, according to the report. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to surpass the U.S. market in sales by 2016 with an estimated shipment of about 55 million units. The U.S. won’t be far behind with 54 million units, while Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined will account for 40 million units.

The real financial and technological drivers of the ultrabook market by 2016 are expected to be business users and the support of Intel (News - Alert) Corporation.