Netbook rise catches PC vendors napping

Small, but perfectly formed: The netbook market is the only area of the PC market still growing

Analyst Canalys has claimed the rise of the netbook is the PC industry's biggest shift in 15 years and has left many big-name vendors playing catch-up.

It reports that netbooks are the only part of the PC market enjoying growth this year. It described the technology's impact on the market over the past 18 months as "profound".

Netbooks have forced Microsoft to cut prices to stave off the threat from Linux, Canalys claims. The analyst also asserts that netbooks have driven down hardware prices and pushed numerous PC manufacturers into slashing operating costs as margins erode.

But Canalys claims the biggest change of all is a move towards the mobile phone sales model, with more than 50 carriers worldwide now selling subsidised netbooks. Traditional desktop and notebook players will be differentiated by their investment in netbook technology and the extent to which they court big telcos.

Tim Coulling, Canalys research analyst, said: “Our latest research reveals that, in August, across Europe, the four PC vendors with the most telco deals were Samsung, Asus, HP and Acer. The real surprise has been how quickly the Korean vendors have moved to le verage their mobile phone businesses, selling netbooks to telcos – LG’s netbooks have become prominent in the major countries too.

"Samsung has achieved great reviews for its NC10 netbook, primarily because of its keyboard and extended battery life. Suddenly, Samsung is a force to be reckoned with in the PC industry and it already has deals with more than half of the telcos currently selling netbooks.

"Meanwhile, traditional notebook category leaders – including Lenovo, Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba – have been slow to recognise how quickly the market is changing around them and as a group they have signed fewer than 10 operators.”

Canalys claims the consumer marketing might of the telcos is giving netbooks a level of exposure unprecedented in the PC space. The analyst added that vendors not jumping into bed with the carrier channel are "missing out on valuable promotional opportunities".

The analyst surveyed 3,000 consumers across Europe last month and found netbooks are often sold as second devices. Netbooks are also three times more likely than traditional notebooks to be used in public, with 45 per cent of owners taking theirs on holiday.

The launch of Windows 7 will give the whole PC market a lift, Canalys added. The firm also predicted that the "distinctions between smartphones, netbooks and notebooks will become increasingly unclear over the next year".