The rising popularity of iPads, smartphones, and tablets is eating into the demand of Netbooks, which could make Netbooks extinct by 2015, according to a new study by IHS.
The Compute Electronics Market Tracker study revealed that Netbook shipments will reach 3.97 million units in 2013, a drop of nearly 72% from 32 million units shipped during 2010.
Production of these devices in 2014 will account for a quarter of a million and by 2015, Netbooks will have completely vanished according to the report.
IHS analyst Craig Stice said Netbooks shot to popularity immediately after launch because they were optimised for low cost, delivering what many consumers believed as acceptable computer performance.
"However, netbooks began their descent into oblivion with the introduction in 2010 of Apple’s iPad," Stice said.
"The iPad and other tablets came in a new form factor that excited consumers while also offering improved computing capabilities, leading to a massive loss of interest in netbooks."
Additionally, the report projects that overall PC sales would revive in 2013, by growing 8% year-on-year, reporting sales of over 370 million from the earlier 345 million.
