Smartbooks to Hit 163M in 2015

As shown in Apple’s iPad, new devices that sandwich themselves between a smartphone and a netbook are on the rise.
As a class, they are called “smartbooks” and they should see shipments soar to 163 million units by 2015, marking a quick ascension, as the first devices only appeared in 2008, said ABI Research.
Where generally a smartbook may be defined as a device somewhere between a smartphone and a netbook, ABI Research defines it as a low-powered, always-on device with a WiFi or other connection (cellular, broadband) that is a subset of an MID (mobile Internet device) and netbook, and does not use an x86 processor. Apple’s iPad, by that definition, qualifies as a smartbook.
ABI suggests suppliers keep prices on smartbooks down to $200 or less.