The global volumes of Netbook shipments grew 79 percent annually, according to global, independent research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics (News - Alert).

 

Its latest research says that Netbook vendors shipped 30.2 million units globally during 2009 and it was a very significant year for these products. Although Netbooks are similar to laptops they have significantly smaller screens, low-power processors and the typical availability of mobile broadband connectivity.

 

In 2009, the sale of Netbook was highest in North America and Western Europe, according to Strategy Analytics. The research firm’s Netbook Share Tracker, or “NST (News - Alert),” service indicates that Acer, Asus, HP and Dell were the top vendors in 2009.

 

These top four players in the industry and other incumbents all ramped up the number of netbook models offered throughout the year. Meanwhile other new entrants in the market such as Nokia also got a share of this lucrative market, according to Alex Spektor, analyst at Strategy Analytics who added that the launch of Microsoft (News - Alert) Windows 7 also helped vendors reinvigorate their portfolios.

 

Distribution of Netbooks was important in the increase of their sales said Peter King, director at Strategy Analytics. He noted that Netbook shipments greatly benefitted from a broad distribution footprint, which ranged from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers and mobile operator shops.

 

The research firm expects further growth for this category in 2010 because the chipset makers will continue battling for dominance in the portable device segment.

 

“Intel (News - Alert), Qualcomm, Nvidia and others will continue to push new processors that promise to do more, while taking up less space and consuming less power,” company officials said.