Netbooks sales to double in 2009!
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
An analyst report, just published, says that there will nearly 33 million netbooks shipped in 2009. Also called “mini-notebooks” by DisplaySearch, an analyst firm in Austin, Tex., this is a huge explosion in market share for those little machines (defined as those with screens smaller than 12.1 inches.)
In 2008, according to DisplaySearch’s Quarterly Notebook PC Shipment and Forecast Report, there were a total of 16.4 million netbook shipped worldwide. In 2009, they’re predicting 32.7 million. Yes, that’s nearly twice as many.
Here’s how it breaks out, region by region:
North America: 3.7 million
Europe/Middle East/Africa: 7.3 million
Japan: 1.5 million
China: 1.1 million
Rest of Asia/Pacific: 1.8 million
Latin America: 1.0 million
How does this compare to shipment of “traditional” notebooks, that is, those with 12.1-inch or larger screens? It’s still a small percentage — but it’s growing.
In 2008, DisplaySearch says that there were 129.6 million traditional notebooks shipped — that is, nearly eight traditional notebooks shipped for every netbook.
In 2009, by comparison, the number of traditional notebooks is expected to drop slightly, to 129.5 million — or only four times as many netbooks.
Some interesting analysis by DisplaySearch about the changing nature of netbooks:
“Mini-notes are forecast to continue to be a significant portion of the market. However, as display sizes of these devices have quickly moved from 7.0” to 8.9” to 10.1”, and now with the emergence of 11.6” and 12.0” mini-note products, it is clear that buyers want a light-weight device, but that they also want a bigger display. While these devices have certainly created a new market, our research indicates that they are predominantly used as secondary PCs by consumers, and are not replacing notebooks,” said John F. Jacobs, Director of Notebook Market Research and author of the report.