China is the leading manufacturer and consumer of PCs. According to iSuppli, “China has become the most important PC market worldwide, representing 22 percent of global demand and contributing more than 90 percent of total production. As a result of this demand, PC shipments in 2012 will reach 83.6 million units, up from 73.9 million units in 2011 and from 67.0 million units in 2010.”

The most obvious source for growth in China’s PC market is Lenovo, which is currently the world’s fastest-growing computer maker.

Despite earlier predictions of a slow year for PC shipments, the continued shift to notebooks made PCs more affordable. This led many consumers to purchase them.

According to The Register, China’s desktop PC will not be impacted by Thailand’s flooding, which put a severe dent in the hard disk drive supply chain last year.

Ultrabooks are likely to become the next big thing in the notebook industry because of their slim and sleek appearance as well as their superior battery life and seven second boot times.

DigiTimes pointed out that Apple’s iPad products are popular and are being sold at competitive prices in China, which means the ultrabook has a tough competitive battle ahead — however, sales of second generation ultrabooks are likely to rise once Windows 8 and Ivy Bridge launch towards the end of year.

China surpassed the U.S. as the world’s biggest personal-computer market in August of 2011.