According to market research company , although laptop sales were down 4 percent year-over-year for July and August 2011 combined (the months that NPD considers to be the back-to-school shopping season), laptop sales were almost 4 percent higher in August 2011 than they were during the same period last year.

We can thank back-to-school specials for the laptop sales comeback. In the last two weeks of August, sales of Windows laptops increased by more than 8 percent as compared to the same two weeks the year before. The spike is likely from shoppers rushing to grab last-minute laptop deals.

NPD's research also indicates that a record 65% of all notebooks sold to consumers priced under $500. Additionally, according to this latest report, you can expect more bargain notebooks during the holiday shopping season. So watch out for more great deals on laptops coming soon--these price cuts are the real drivers of the laptop industry right now.

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