A newly released report from DisplaySearch shows a growing trend in the world of portable computers. In the 2nd quarter of 2009 netbooks had a net growth of 40%, while notebooks only grew 22%. To date netbooks now hold 22.2% of the portable computer market, its even more impressive when you compare that to the 2nd quarter just a year ago, when netbooks only accounted for 5.6% of the market.

Many factors could be playing into this surge. The bad economy which may be causing potential notebook buyers to rethink their needs and go with the cheaper, slimmer version. Netbooks also have been growing in popularity with promotions from companies like Verizon, Sprint, Comcast and Qwest offering discounted netbooks for new customers. The increase is also likely due to growing netbook sales in latin America and China, where new computer users and first time buyers may not need all the extra amenities that come with a notebook or desktop computer.