Asus To Launch 200 USD Netbook in 2009

Asus has just released its figures for the year, and has sailed past its target of selling five million netbooks for the year, having already shifted 6 million so far in 2008.

For 2009, the manufacturer expects to step things up again to sell 7.5 million netbooks, with a 200 dollar netbook the cornerstone of its plans.

But what does the market look like right now?  Here are some of the key trends:

• 70% of netbooks still feature conventional hard drives, rather than SSD storage

• Windows XP is still dominant, with 70% of the market, compared to 30% for Linux, with Vista not getting a look-in at all

• 10'' screens are becoming the norm as prices fall and consumers realise just how small 7 inches is.

We'll be updating our Product Survey of Netbooks in the next few days with some new models that we've had in our labs, so watch this space.