In addition to the recent report from Taiwan's Market Intelligence Center (MIC) researcher Gartner predicts about 5.2 million units in 2008 of mini-notebooks (netbooks) will be shipped.
According to Gartner the market is expected to experience strong growth, as there could be as many as 50 million mini-notebooks shipped in 2012.
"The demand for mini-notebooks will be driven by several factors including their small form factor and small screen, their light weight, their price, their ease of use and their basic, but sufficient, PC functionality," said Annette Jump, research director at Gartner. "Mini-notebooks are likely to attract a variety of users with different usage scenarios including content consumption, Internet browsing, e-mail, instant messaging (IM), keeping in touch with friends and family, storing and sharing pictures, and so on. Potential users are likely to include both first-time buyers seeking a low-cost introductory PC as well as experienced users seeking a low-cost second or third PC for themselves or a relative."
Gartner believes that the largest growth opportunities for mini-notebooks are in the consumer subcategory and that this segment will eventually account for about 70% of all mini-notebooks. The main drivers for mini-notebook adoption will be market positioning, device price, availability of wireless connectivity and its costs as well as support from channel partners & retailers, Digitimes reports.
