The netbook isn't dead, but news that major netbook player Acer is expecting drastically reduced shipments of the mini-laptops and focusing on tablets is another indication that demand for the once formidable form factor is drying up.
Acer shipped between 400,000 and 500,000 netbooks in May, about 50 percent fewer than in the previous month. The company expects similar netbook shipment numbers in June and July, according to a Wednesday report from DigiTimes.
Where netbook shipments are sinking, tablet demand is rising. The Taiwanese tech journal reports that Acer's tablet orders hit between 200,000 and 300,000 for May. Acer, which makes the Google Android-based Iconia Tab, reportedly enjoys a much greater profit margin on tablets as compared with netbooks.
While some major computer makers still plan to release new netbook products—notably, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, and Asus, as identified by DigiTimes—the salad days of the netbook do seem to have come and gone in the face of skyrocketing demand for tablets like Apple's iPad 2.
Research from leading industry analyst firms has also pointed to waning demand for netbooks in recent quarters. Enough so that it's almost difficult to remember when the form factor burst onto the scene and shipments seemed to grow in double digits on a quarterly basis.
Starting with the unexpected popularity of Asus' eeePC several years ago, netbooks filled an important niche in the market, appealing to consumers on the basis of size, weight, and price. But they were also seen as a complementary product that served as a secondary computer for people who used more powerful PC systems for more performance-intensive computing.
Tablets, which have popular touch interfaces and are easier to operate on the go for many people, seem to be supplanting netbooks in that complementary role.
It would be premature to declare the end of netbooks just yet. But would anybody be surprised if it turns out that netbooks were a relatively short-term fad that bridged the mobile gap between heavy laptops and today's consumer tablets?