ABI Research has revealed a second-quarter 2011 drop in netbook shipments from 8.4 million to 7.3 million units. What really throws these figures off-balance is a massive rise in tablet computer shipments, seeing them transition from the role of ultra-mobile device (UMD) underdog to overlord in a single quarter, as shipments shifted from 6.4 million to a whopping 13.6 million units.
Whilst these figures demonstrate the increasing popularity of the tablet, they also affirm a sense of stability in the otherwise threatened netbook market. It’s reasonable to expect a portion of the netbook user-base to have been stood in the line waiting for a more portable device such as a tablet computer, not looking for the functionality inherently found in a netbook. The figures show that whilst netbooks have suffered a 12 per cent drop in unit shipments, tablet devices have expanded the size of the UMD market as opposed to eating significantly into the well-established share held by the netbook. Quite reasonably ABI suggests that the simpler and cheaper-to-produce components of a netbook give appeal to low-budget users and more importantly, developing countries, where cost and functionality are a priority.
It was also revealed that 68 per cent of the media tablet shipments were iPads, though when you consider that many recent Amazon top sellers were Android tablets and that rumours suggest we won’t see the iPad 3 until March, the Q3 and Q4 market shares appear to be very much open to fluctuation.
ABI expects to see the 2-to-1 tablet-to-netbook trend continue throughout 2011, but given the rapid tablet growth observed since 2010, it'll be interesting to see the final figures early next year.
