According to Gartner, worldwide mini-notebook shipments will top 5 million units in 2008. Gartner defines mini-notebooks as mobile computing devices with a screen size between 5- to 10-inches and running a full client operating system such as Windows XP or Linux. The demand for these has been driven by factors such as small size, light weight, relatively low price, ease of use and sufficient PC functionality.
Gartner expects that shipments will grow to 8 million units in 2009.
The biggest opportunity for this market segment lies in the consumer subcategory and could eventually account for about 70 percent of all shipments. But they are still an emerging product class and their long term success will depend in large part on manufacturers being able to differentiate them enough from other notebooks and getting them into the appropriate channels (telecom and gadget shops for example).