The growth of netbook laptop computers is expected to slow down this year to around 37 million units as cheaper standard notebook computer and new tablet devices have started nibbling away at the netbook market share, a Taipei-based research firm has projected.
Reversing the strong growth seen over the past three years, netbook shipments this year would increase by around 19 percent, from 31.1 million units last year, Topology Research Institute (拓墣產業研究所) forecast.
Sales of notebook computers are expected to expand 25 percent this year to 210 million from last year, ending a two-year decline because of the economic recession, Topology said.
“This year, netbook growth will fall back to a steady pace as standard notebook computers become more attractive because of falling prices and better performance,” Topology analyst Ryan Lee (李易聰) said last week.
“Plus, tablet PCs are something of a rising star and some consumers are turning to tablet PCs,” Lee said.
Topology said netbook computers would continue to be on the market, but the growth rate would slow down.
In 2012, tablet PC shipments, including Apple’s iPad, are expected to exceed netbook shipments to 53 million units, while netbook shipments would be 49.4 million, according to Topology’s forecast.
This year, tablet PC shipments are expected to reach 13.5 million units, mostly from Apple, the researcher said.
Over the last few years, Taiwan’s PC maker Acer Inc (宏碁) and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), which made the world’s first netbook computer, are expected to see their ranking rise among global PC companies to No. 2 and No. 5 this year respectively, partly helped by the hot sale of netbook models, Topology said.
However, that advantage will begin to wane from the second half of this year, Lee said, as Apple will catch up to snatch the fifth position with the help of iPad sales, Lee said.
Another Taipei-based research firm, Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC, 產業情報研究所), last week cut down its forecast for netbook shipments this year to 35 million.
They said the lower estimate is due to erosion from tablet PCs, which are designed to be more media-centered models rather than for professional use, when such devices hit the market several years ago.
The market research house “adjusted annual netbook computer shipments because of a squeeze on sales after the launch of Apple’s iPad and tablet PCs. We are watching the future growth trend of netbooks,” MIC analyst Chris Wei (魏傳虔) said in a report.
Wei did not provide comparative figures.
According to Gartner Inc, global PC makers shipped 32 million netbooks last year.
This figure is expected to grow 30 percent to 41.8 million units this year they said..
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