Taipei - Worldwide notebook personal computer (PC) shipment
in 2009 is forecasted to reach 138 million units, growing about
11.3 per cent compared to the expected shipment volume of 124 million
units in 2008, a Taiwan research agency said Tuesday.
Worldwide netbook PC shipment volume in 2009 is forecasted to
reach 22.64 million units, growing 102 per cent compared to the
expected volume of 11.21 million units in 2008, the Market
Information Centre (MIC) under the Institute of Information Industry,
said in a news release.
The combined shipment volume of notebook PCs and netbook PCs is
expected to grow 18.8 per cent in 2009 compared to 2008, making these
two product types the main growth driver of the global PC industry.
Notebook PCs are defined as products with display sizes of 10.4
inches and larger. Netbook PCs are defined as products with display
sizes between 7 and 10.2 inches.
MIC industry analyst Nicole Huang said: 'The global notebook PC
industry is about to enter maturity. This development towards
maturity will be further pushed by the weakness of the overall
economy, the fact that the market is gradually becoming saturated and
the intense price competition.'
'Although netbook PC shipment will see significant growth rates,
this product type is only in the early stages of development, and its
ability to boost overall industry growth is still limited,' the news
release quoted Huang as saying.
In 2009, the distinction between notebook PCs and netbook PCs will
become increasingly blurred, MIC said.
Lightweight and convenient features, multimedia functions and
price will become key factors in consumer market purchases. The focus
in future notebook PC product development will be on personalized
features, lightweight aesthetics and strong entertainment multimedia
functions, MIC noted.
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