iSuppli Corp. Looks At Trends In The Global Netbook Market
As consumers’ disposable incomes dwindle, they are flocking to buy low-cost netbook PCs, driving global shipments up by 68.5 percent in 2009 and by a whopping 2,424 percent in 2008, according to iSuppli Corp. However, as economic conditions improve in 2010 and beyond, shipment growth inevitably will fall from these stratospheric levels, the market research firm says.
“People are not buying netbooks because they are truly desirable platforms, but rather because as low-cost PCs, they offer a good mix of features at an acceptable price point,” says Matthew Wilkins, Principal Analyst, Computer Platforms, for iSuppli. “With financial motivation a key factor in many netbook sales, growth of the netbook platform is likely to slow down when the economy comes back and consumers have more money in their pockets.”
Global shipment growth for netbook PCs will decelerate to less astounding—but still impressive—39.6 percent in 2010, and will continue to slow to reach 13.1 percent in 2013. iSuppli defines the netbook as a mobile PC with a fully-functional operating system, including local storage, a keyboard and wireless connectivity. Netbooks are priced at less than $600. The primary function of these devices is portable Internet access, along with providing a basic computing experience, and serving as a low-cost alternative to other types of PCs.
Because of this, much of the growth of netbooks has come at the expense other PC categories, particularly desktops. Global desktop PC shipments are expected to drop by 9.5 percent in 2009. But while desktop shipments are set to continue to decrease during the following years, the rate of decline will slow as consumers regain their purchasing power.
For more from iSuppli's netbook analysis, click here.
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