Worldwide netbook cargo are ask to raise in the first quarter of 2010 , but could be affected as hand-held tablets like the iPad gain in popularity , research firm DisplaySearch say in a study released on Monday .
Mini - laptop shipments could be near to 8.7 million unit during the first quarter this year , a increase of 44.9 per centum compared to first quarter of 2009 , said Chris Connery , frailty president at DisplaySearch . Tablets shoot for at users who desire to see video , scan e - book and breaker the Internet could cut back into that share , DisplaySearch suppose .
Low price were partly responsible for the growth in netbook shipments , but PC makers and retailers are interested about the lower margins and gross generate by the devices , harmonize to John Jacobs , conductor of notebook market inquiry at DisplaySearch . PC makers may switch their focus to higher - margin product like tablets , which could beget more tax revenue while delivering similar functionality to netbooks .
Slates that arrive with content , content bringing mechanisms , and program will be able to mother more taxation and better allowance for manufacturers , retailers and suppliers , harmonize to Jacobs .
The iPad , which started shipping on Saturday , is a hand-held twist with a 9.7 - inch touchscreen on which users can watch videos , read e - books , play video games and channel-surf the Internet . But unlike netbooks , the gimmick does not have a built - in keyboard , which could confine its use for written document cosmos . Hewlett - Packard , Dell , Asus and Lenovo are scheduled to come out with competing slate products after this class .
Despite the threat poise by tablets , netbook shipments will go along to grow , DisplaySearch say . The shipments of mini - laptop , which includes netbooks and slate , this class could total 43.8 million social unit , year - over - class growth of 28.5 pct . Netbooks will total rough 20 percent of all portable PC shipment this year , DisplaySearch tell .
