35 Million Netbooks Will Be Shipped in 2009: Report

In line with a prediction made earlier this year, almost 35 million netbooks will be shipped by manufacturers in 2009. The latest market data from ABI Research (News - Alert) matches its forecast made last February, showing that manufacturers are on track with anticipated shipments.

 

According to ABI, ASUS dominated the netbook category in 2007 when it debuted the Eee PC, and Acer (News - Alert) made a big push in Q4 2008 to lead the second year.

 

ABI Senior Analyst Jeff Orr said that 74 percent of 2008 netbook shipments bore the brands of just three vendors: Acer, ASUS and Samsung (News - Alert).

 

“However, the rapid growth of netbooks as a second computer in developed markets will be eclipsed in coming years by vendors targeting developing nations and first Internet PCs at home,” Orr said.

 

The netbook and nascent MID markets are not locked up, however, according to ABI’s report. While several of the leading netbook vendors are recognizable brands from the laptop and desktop computing markets, new vendors – including handset maker Nokia – have introduced netbooks and MIDs in an effort to participate in the growth of these segments.

 

Verizon Wireless recently announced the availability of two new HP netbooks – the HP Mini 311-1037NR and the HP Mini 110-1046NR – on its 3G network. The netbooks come with a built-in Verizon (News - Alert) Wireless’ Mobile Broadband network. Additionally, with these HP Mini netbooks, customers can browse the Web or access e-mail in more than 185 destinations worldwide when coupled with a Verizon Wireless GlobalAccess service plan, according to Verizon Wireless officials.

 

ABI Research forecasts so-called ultra-mobile devices – the combination of Netbooks, MIDs and UMPs – to top 124 million systems shipped in 2011.

 

As netbook markets thrive, the mobile consumer electronics category – which is expected to account for only about two million device shipments this year – is forecasted to top 50 million in 2014. This market is currently led by connected personal navigation devices and eBook readers, ABI Research analysts said. Every major navigation company is in the running, offering turn-by-turn navigation, overlays, weather, traffic, and real-time traffic updates. Amazon’s Kindle has lots of competition coming from the Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Daily Edition, iRex, Plastic Logic Que and others.

 

Finally, Orr said, laptop vendors may soon “reinvent the UMPC,” bringing down the low-end laptop price to $500 through ultra-low voltage machines. “That could affect some netbook sales in developed markets, especially the business users.”

 

Although China’s netbook market offers high margins, the market is not as big as it first seems, according to high-tech market research firm In-Stat.

 

TMCnet recently reported that a total of 2.46 million netbooks will be shipped in China this year, more than half via telco channels, the market research firm said in its report titled “China’s Netbook Market: Not as Big as it Looks.”