Acer outdueled Asus in the third quarter to become the world's No. 1 seller of mini-notebook PCs, according to DisplaySearch and Gartner.

Though Asus essentially created the mini-notebook segment in late 2007, DisplaySearch reports that Acer was able to capture more than 35 percent of the market globally in the third quarter, stripping market share from its main rival. Gartner confirmed that the rivals have swapped market-share slots.

The so-called "mini-note" segment grew at more than a 160 percent clip in the third quarter, observed John Jacobs, DisplaySearch's director of notebook research. Demand was "especially evident in certain geographies where vendors are partnering with telecom providers to subsidize mini-note PCs, much like they do mobile phones."

Gartner expects 11 million mini-notebooks will ship worldwide this year, or 7.7 percent of the mobile PC market. "By 2011, Gartner predicts that 36 million mini-notebooks will ship, which would be approximately 14 percent of Gartner's forecast for worldwide mobile PC shipments," said Angela McIntyre, a research director at the firm.

Mini-notebooks represent a two-edged sword, noted Loren Loverde, director of IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The low-cost machines are "expected to help drive volume," while simultaneously applying "pressure to PC makers' margins and revenues."

By: DocMemory
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