Report: Netbook Shipments Forecast To Hit 33 Million In 2009

Netbooks continue to fly off the shelves, with nearly 33 million units of the ultramobile PCs predicted to sell in 2009, according to a new report from DisplaySearch. Notebook sales are predicted to be mostly flat, but hope could be right around the corner.

Netbooks continue to be more popular in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America, with the ultramobile PCs not having quite as much success in North America and the Asia-Pacific regions, the report says.

DisplaySearch, a part of the NPD Group, predicts that netbook penetration in the EMEA and Latin American markets will exceed 22 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The report says that 40 percent of all netbooks shipped in 2009 will find homes in EMEA countries, down slightly from 45 percent in 2008.

Meanwhile, DisplaySearch predicts that Latin American customers continue to look to netbooks as a lower cost alternative to more traditional notebooks, which DisplaySearch defines as notebooks with a screen size of 12.1 inches or greater.

The group predicts an overall 99.1 percent growth in netbooks, from 16.4 million to 32.7 million, year over year from 2008 to 2009. Notebook sales, on the other hand, are predicted to fall 0.1 percent in 2009, from 129.6 million units in 2008 to 129.5 million this year.

"Mini-notes are forecast to continue to be a significant portion of the market," John F. Jacobs, director of notebook market research and author of the report, said in a statement. "However, as display sizes of these devices have quickly moved from 7.0 to 8.9 to 10.1 inches, and now with the emergence of 11.6- and 12.0-inch mini-note products, it is clear that buyers want a lightweight 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."

DisplaySearch predicts that notebook sales will remain flat over the course of 2009 due to the high penetration of netbooks in the market combined with customers extending refresh cycles on existing hardware. The research group found that many businesses looked to save money in the current economic climate by cutting IT-related purchasing.

Hope for traditional notebooks, however, may not be far off. The research firm believes the release of Windows 7 in October, paired with an economic recovery, may spur a rejuvenation of the notebook market. DisplaySearch "believes that there is significant pent-up demand in the B2B market as many enterprises did not upgrade from Windows XP to Vista."

However, the research firm doesn't believe that the pent-up demand will occur until 2010.

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