Mini notebooks to boom

Mini-notebooks are an emerging category of mobile computing devices, with worldwide mini-notebook shipments on pace to reach 5.2 million units in 2008 and 8 million units in 2009, according to Gartner.

The market is expected to experience strong growth, as there could be as many as 50 million mini-notebooks shipped in 2012.  Mini-notebooks are mobile computing devices with a screen size of five inches to 10 inches that run a full version of client operating system (OS), such as Windows XP or Linux. Mini-notebooks do not include microinformation devices (MIDs), which according to Gartner definitions are a separate product category and include mobile computing devices with a screen size of three inches to five inches. 

“The demand for mini-notebooks will be driven by several factors: by their small form factor and small screen, their light weight, their price, their ease of use and their basic, but sufficient, PC functionality,” said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner.

“Mini-notebooks are likely to attract a variety of users with different usage scenarios: content consumption, internet browsing, e-mail, instant messaging (IM), keeping in touch with friends and family, storing and sharing pictures, and so on. Potential users are likely to include both first-time buyers seeking a low-cost introductory PC as well as experienced users seeking a low-cost second or third PC for themselves or a relative.”