Netbook shipments have exceeded expectations to reach 36.3 million units in 2009, according to a new study by research firm ABI Research.
The netbook shipments have surpassed the research firm’s previous forecast of approximately 35 million netbook shipments.
The firm expects that netbook shipments to reach 58 million in 2010 while a new element has been added to the mobile consumer electronics market, media tablet, initially personified by Apple’s iPad.
Jeff Orr, principal analyst at ABI Research, said: “We expect the netbook market to fragment according to different regional value propositions. Functionality will be added to mainstream netbook products while at the same time an entry-level netbook solution will grow, with the aim of targeting some large emerging markets (including China and India) where PC penetration is still quite low.”
ABI Research also sees that the pace of netbook market growth slowing to a CAGR of 23%, as media tablets start to grab some share from netbooks.
The firm’s new ‘Netbooks, MIDs, Media Tablets, and Mobile CE Market Data’ forecasts media tablet sales of about eight million in 2010.
Orr added: “Apple’s claimed shipments of one million iPads in the first month are impressive starting from zero, but even our total media tablet forecast falls far short of what anyone would call mass market adoption.”
In addition, the research firm forecasts that even though Apple takes significant early market share, there are lots of opportunities for other firms.
