Has Apple hit a sweet spot?

So Black Friday has passed us. And we are officially in the holiday buying season.

In terms of consumer electronic devices, what do people want to buy? What kind of laptops?

I saw this article online that basically states Apple is officially playing hard ball with competitors. The once underdog is now a consumer favorite - yes, it has been on the rise for several years. But now there are statistic to back up the claim.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20023909-64.html

This article states that of users planning to buy laptops in 90 days, 36% plan to go the MacBook route. Up 11% points since last month. Dell is down, HP is down.

Simply put - Apple is controlling over 33% of the market share within the next 90 days in the laptop category.

Don't forget, this does not include ultra-portable devices such as iPads or iPhones.

This can certainly be attributed to the new release of the MacBook Air - both 13" and 11" models, featuring .68" at its thickest point and complete flash storage.

The fact that these new MacBook Airs are classified in the laptop category, one would think it would not effect netbook market share (two different classifications, technically). But traditional netbook sales are down. Consumers realize that although the Macbook Air is technically classified as a laptop, it has the core features of a netbook - though much more advanced.

I'll be curious to see how sales ultimately pan out after the holiday season.