The increasing popularity of netbooks is as much to do with their convenience as their price, Dell states.

People are buying netbooks for different uses, with one advantage being that they are easier to carry around, comments Dell PR manager Ellen Murphy.

She also adds that consumers buy what they can afford and what suits their needs, and with netbooks becoming more advanced and more available, their popularity could continue to increase.

Businesses who provide netbooks for their employees are reminded to ensure that their IT support services for portable devices are up to date, as remote support may be required more often.

Figures from DisplaySearch published last month show that nearly six million netbooks were shipped in the first quarter of 2009.

Nearly half of these went to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with around a quarter going to consumers in North America.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).