According to iSuppli, a market research firm, 2010 will be all about netbooks and ultra-thin laptops. As a matter of fact, even though the market experienced a 19% increase in sales last year (up from 2008), numbers for this year are expected to be even higher. They also expect this trend to carry on for the next four years, into 2014.
Laptops, Ultra-thin laptops, and Netbooks
In 2010, over 34.5 million netbooks are expected to ship (an increase of 30%) and in 2014, those numbers are expected to reach 58.3 million units sold. When it comes to the newer ultra-thin laptops, 14.5 million units are expected to ship this year, which is a 93% increase from the 7.5 million units shipped in 2009. As for standard laptops, they still dominate the market (160.5 million units are expected to ship in 2010), but growth is only about 21%. It’s expected that notebooks will continue to dominate the market over the next few years, but thinner versions are definitely on their way up.
Acer is Number One
When it comes to computer-makers, Acer remains number one. The company, based in Taiwan, was at the top in 2008 and 2009, and iSuppli expects that to be the case in 2010. 37% of all laptops shipped last year came from Acer, which drives sales with competitive pricing, strong channel distribution, and quick production to market time. Asustek Computer came in at number, while Hewlett Packard, Samsung, and Dell rounded out the top five. However, the number two spot will potentially see Samsung or HP taking over. Those five companies alone make up 90% of the laptop market.
Another reason for Acer’s popularity is it’s creation ultra-thin laptops in 2009, something other companies hadn’t yet started making. The company shipped around five million ultra-thin laptops in 2009. Asustek shipped about 700,000 ultra-thin unites, and together with Acer, dominated the market. Companies such as HP, Dell, and Toshiba didn’t get into the ultra-thin game until late in the year, but they are expected to do so in 2010, which means lots of changes and competition to be number one.
Total Numbers
If iSupply’s data is any indication, laptop popularity, as a whole, will continue to grow and dominate the computer market, with more and more people trading in their powerful standard laptops for netbooks and ultra-thing models. Rumor has it some companies, such as Toshiba, will be working to make thinner laptops more powerful.
In 2009, 166.9 laptops were sold. This year, 209.5 unites are expected to sell, with 371.5 units being sold in 2014.
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