The netbook market continues to grow and, according to analysts will be even bigger.

Netbook vendors shipped 30.2 million units worldwide during 2009, as global volumes grew 79% annually. According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, this was an important year for netbooks, which are similar to laptops, but are distinguished by smaller screens, low-power processors and the typical availability of mobile broadband connectivity. North America and Western Europe were key markets for netbooks in 2009.

“According to our Netbook Share Tracker (NST) service, top vendors in 2009 were Acer, Asus, HP, and Dell. These players and other incumbents all ramped up the number of netbook models offered throughout the year, while newcomers like Nokia also entered this red-hot market. The launch of Microsoft Windows 7 also helped vendors reinvigorate their portfolios,” said Alex Spektor, Analyst at Strategy Analytics.

According to analysts, shipments of netbooks will grow further in 2010 thanks to good acceptance in retail stores.

“Netbook shipments benefitted from a broad distribution footprint, which ranged from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers and mobile operator shops. This category is poised for further growth in 2010, as chipset makers battle for dominance in the portable device segment. Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia and others will continue to push new processors that promise to do more, while taking up less space and consuming less power, said Peter King, director at Strategy Analytics.

Tags: Intel, Atom