Samsung Quits Netbook Market, Acer Going Strong

With tablets now firmly established in the consumer tech market and ultrabooks breathing new life into the laptop sector, the humble netbook is starting to look a little out-dated. In fact, some tech manufacturers have decided to turn their back on the netbook market altogether. 

Samsung recently announced it would be ceasing to manufacture 10.1-inch laptops to instead concentrate on ultra-portable laptops and ultrabooks. The Korean tech firm is visibly determined to quit the netbook market while it's ahead. 

It's a different story over at Acer, however, as the firm still considers netbooks as a profitable sector and will continue to develop and launch new models. The firm is particularly looking to emerging markets, such as China and India, where a low-cost laptops with limited applications can prove particularly appealing.

So while profit margins remain relatively low for netbooks, Acer is counting on shifting large numbers of its compact laptops to help keep its books in the black. In the third quarter of 2011, Acer managed to sell 1.7 million netbooks worldwide, grabbing 22% of the market share, ahead of Asus with 1.2 million unit sales.