TAIWAN, TAIPEI: According to MIC (Market Intelligence Center, Taiwan), the worldwide low-price mini notebook PC shipment is likely to reach 8.02 million units in 2008. In 2009 shipment volume is forecasted to reach a scale of 18.3 million units, growing 128 percent annually.

According to MIC Senior Industry Analyst Chris Wei: "The low-price mini notebook PC market was dominated by the Asus Eee PC in the first half of 2008. Acer rolled out the Aspire One notebook PC which is very competitive on price, and Acer has shown an aggressive attitude towards developing the low-price mini notebook PC market. In the second half of 2008 price competition is expected to emerge in the market, and product specifications could be improved by vendors in order to better compete in the market. Consumers will be the beneficiaries of these developments."

As for product specifications of low-price mini notebook PCs, mainstream screen sizes are gradually moving from 7-inch to 8.9- and 10-inch. Most of the new products launched in 2008 feature 8.9-inch screens, while for OS most products adopt Microsoft XP, with Linux as a complementary option.

Keyboard sizes are approaching those of regular notebook PCs. Products are also adopting Intel's Atom processor, which was developed specifically for low-price mini notebook PCs. HP, Dell, and Acer are all expected to focus on 8.9-inch products, while MSI's models mainly feature 10-inch screens. Asus has launched diverse products with screen sizes ranging from 7-inch to 10-inch.

Overall, in the second half of 2008 competition in the low-price mini notebook PC market is expected to intensify, as the world's top 3 notebook PC vendors, HP, Dell, and Acer, are rolling out products for this market segment. This development is expected to stimulate market growth.