Netbooks Hot Now But Future Unclear

Last year was one that most vendors would like to forget. Sales in many markets plummeted as small and medium businesses tightened up their purse strings. One notable exception was netbooks, which saw unprecedented growth and are now a staple in many companies. So how bright is their future?In early 2009, ABI Research projected that 35 million netbooks would be sold, despite the down economy. The companys projection turned out to be a bit low: 36.3 million netbooks were shipped, according to the market research firm. Businesses have been attracted to the devices because they are inexpensive, functional, and convenient. Consequently, the market research firm expects that vendors will ship 58 million netbooks this year.

However, there a few obstacles to the growing acceptance of these devices. In some cases, businesses find that the systems do not have sufficient functionality, and in others, executives may not feel comfortable with the size of the keyboard or screen. In addition, Apple has focused attention on the tablet market with the introduction of its iPad. Consequently, ABI Research projects that netbook growth will slow to 23% in the coming years.

Small and medium businesses now have a growing array of options when trying to determine how to outfit their employees: PCs, smartphones, laptops, netbooks, and now tablets. Netbooks, a novel entry into this space, have been gaining a great deal of acceptance among corporations. Companies can feel confident that netbooks will be viable in the coming years but still will have to weigh a number of factors in order to determine whether or not they are a good fit for their organization.