Netbook sales growth leaves laptops in shade

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 1 Sep 2009 at 10:43

Netbook sales growth in the second quarter of 2009 was double that of traditional laptop sales, according to new research.

Analysis firm DisplaySearch is reporting that netbook shipments grew an impressive 40% compared to the same quarter last year, dwarfing the 22% for laptops. That equates to sales of 38 million globally.

While that's impressive growth, netbooks still lag well behind their better featured brethren in terms of overall sales. Laptops accounted for 77.8% of the overall market with netbooks making up the remaining 22.2%.

That may not sound particularly impressive, but back in the second quarter of 2008 netbooks represented a meagre 5.6% of the market, suggesting the gap will close very quickly if sales continue along their current trajectory.

The West continues to dominate netbook sales, despite the fact that their low-cost roots make them ideal for developing nations such as China, Brazil and India.

North America accounted for 26.6% of the netbooks shipped during the period, while Europe, the Middle East and Africa vacuumed up 32.9% of netbook shipments. The analysis firm puts this trend down to telcos bundling netbooks with broadband offerings.

However, not everyone is enamoured by netbooks. A separate survey conducted by industry watcher Spiceworks has found that only 13% of SMBs plan on buying netbooks for their staff, compared to the 56% ready to invest in laptops.