Netbooks are small, light and inexpensive laptop computers, and they are very portable. Built for web access and basic office applications, netbooks are not high powered tools. Their low cost has helped popularize netbooks during this recession–in fact the netbook market was the only PC sector that experienced growth this year.

In the first half of 2009, 13.5 million netbooks were sold globally. Even phone companies have jumped into the market, and telco deals may have helped in the popularization of netbooks. Some 50 telco operators began selling netbooks and aiming their huge marketing budgets towards the advertising of netbooks.