2009 to be year of mini-notebooks in APAC

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Shipments of mini-notebooks in Asia Pacific will reach four million units in 2009, growing by a robust 82 per cent over 2008, according to Gartner, Inc. Growth will stabilise at 20 per cent or more in 2010 and 2011, when mini-notebooks will account for more than 14 per cent of all mobile PCs shipped.

Lillian Tay, principal research analyst, Gartner, says: “The mini-notebook is a great tool for casual and entry-level computing, especially among younger users who are obsessed with social networking sites such as Facebook. The falling cost of mobile broadband as well as continued rollout of third generation (3G) services and coverage in countries such as China will encourage more desk-based PC users to switch to mobile replacements, as well as stimulating purchases of mini-notebooks as second PCs.”

Gartner expects significant growth in shipments to the more mature IT markets such as Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore and to major cites in emerging countries such as China, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

In Australia, shipment of mini-notebooks is expected to grow 40.8 per cent this year. They will account for 13.7 per cent of all mobile PC shipments in 2009, with the government’s student PC program providing a major boost, and will take a 11.8 per cent share by 2011.

Tracy Tsai, senior research analyst, Gartner, said: "Due to their small size and low price, PC vendors have begun to find some traction for mini-notebooks in the transportation, logistics, repair and servicing, manufacturing, and healthcare markets. A further attraction is the ability for users to create or run custom applications quickly and inexpensively because of standard PC operating systems, unlike handheld devices."

The economic downturn could also drive demand for mini-notebooks in 2009. Their low cost may lead buyers to extend the lifecycle of their standard notebooks and consider a mini-notebook as an additional device for on-the-road Web surfing and entertainment.

All major PC players – including Toshiba, HP, Lenovo, Dell, Samsung and Fujitsu Siemens – entered the mini-notebook market in the second half of 2008, so buyers now have much more choice. These vendors are primed to recapture the market from pioneers such as Asus and Acer. The mini-notebook market will soon become saturated with vendors, models and price points, Gartner predicts.

From 2010, Gartner expects the mini-notebook market to stabilise and carve out a sustaining segment, especially in the 8.9-inch to 10-inch "sweet spot" screen size. Threats such as the falling average selling price (ASP) of standard notebooks and ultraportables will put more pressure on the price and weight of mini-notebooks.