36.3 Million Netbooks Shipped in 2009 Discussion

More than 36 million netbooks shipped in 2009, surpassing ABI Research's early predictions of 35 million units, which some analysts and industry insiders pegged as too high.

Read the full content of this Article: 36.3 Million Netbooks Shipped in 2009

Related Articles:

• MSI Wind U160 Review

 

58 million netbooks in 2010?

Afaict that figure is based on the "emerging netbook markets" of China and India? Hmm ... I wonder what his parameters for a "netbook" are for that matter?

 

maybe your average people are starting to realize that they don't need more than netbook power to surf the web, listen to music and read e-mails (all about 80% of computer users do, apparently) and appreciate the price and form-factor.

 

Very surprising, tbh. I almost never see anyone with a netbook at school or anywhere else. I actually only know a handful of people with them

 

I think that's the core of the matter. I personally lost my desire for Atom-based netbooks a while ago. I love the small form factor of 10-inch or 11-inch notebooks/netbooks ... but only if they have a reasonable amount of power like the Alienware M11x that I use.

Even though I'm not personally interested in cheap netbooks it seems like everyone I meet asks me about netbooks as soon as they find out I review laptops for a living.

You hit the nail on the head when you said that a lot of average folks don't need more computing power than a basic netbook and the small size and cheap price are very attractive.

 

I did. In fact I'm sitting in my hotel room in Palm Springs, CA doing my online college homework and replying to this post on my Acer Aspire One netbook. I also worked on my homework on the flight out today on my netbook on the tray table very comfortably. Can't say that about any of my other notebook/laptops I own and have owned in the past. This little thing definitely has enough horsepower for what I need it to do, and 5+ hours of battery life to boot. No, you can't game very effectively on it, and it won't play HD videos, but then I can live without those traveling on business where I don't have the time for those anyways.

 

indeed, gentlemen.

I think I had this revelation (that most people don't need a lot of computing power) twice so far in the last few years:

The first time was when I saw how netbooks sold like hotcakes when the Atom processors came out. In spite of known limitations...they really do most things your average person needs a computer to do without trailing far behind a regular laptop (I find Word, Firefox, and Windows Media Player open within a few seconds of the speed a regular laptop opens them, give or take).

The second time was over the last couple of days, when I read articles at other websites with people suggesting their iPad has now replaced their laptop...and that furthermore, they'd be shelving their laptops permanently. I have nothing against the iPad (see sig), but the thought of only having an iPad as a portable computer was horrifying to me. Then I snapped back to reality and realized most people just use their computer for basic things. so relatively simple that a computing device with 256MB of memory can rather stripped down (but speedy and functional) word processors, web browsers, e-mail client, and music/video players coupled with a good screen and great battery life really are enough. of course other apps expand the functionality...but at the core...that's all most people want/need.

I'm in Jerry Jackson's position: the Atom and its form-factor are lost on me. But I just helped my mother buy a netbook and she's happy as a clam because she can slide it into her purse and take it to school with her without the charge cable and watch movies or whatever during her breaks. I've long thought she was paying too much for her laptops and desktops in the past because they were too powerful for her needs. that netbook + desktop monitor to plug into when she gets home is really all she ever needed. lol.

I'm very interested in seeing where the netbook and tablet 2.0 markets go. I certainly see room for all of these products.

interesting times, gentlemen.

 

and people say it's a fad thing.