Netbooks now account for 20% of laptop sales

Netbooks will account for 20% of all laptop computers shipped globally this year, with shipments of traditional laptops to remain flat, new research from DisplaySearch shows.

The company says manufacturers will ship 32.7 million netbooks this year, an increase of 99.1% from last year. Only 129.5 million traditional laptops will be shipped, just slightly down from last year’s 129.6 million.

“It is clear that buyers want a lightweight device, but that they also want a bigger display,” John F. Jacobs, director of notebook research at DisplaySearch, said in a statement.

“While these devices have certainly created a new market, our research indicates that they are predominantly used as secondary PCs by consumers, and are not replacing notebooks.”

The company said the lack of sales in the traditional laptop market is due to weak sales among businesses which are continuing to cut back IT programs to combat the deteriorating economy.