ABI Research beancounters claim the Year of the Ox will, in fact, be the year of the netbook, and expect shipments to top 35 million by the end of 2009.

The outfit believes social and technological factors have conspired to create a "perfect storm" that will lead to a netbook market explosion over the next few years. Not only does ABI expect 35 million shipments in 2009, but it went out on the lim saying the market would gobble up a staggering 139 million netbooks in 2013.

ABI's Kevin Burden believes PDA's have run into a brick wall, with smarphones taking over that particular market niche, while UMPCs didn't prove to be as useful as expected, whih created even more room for netbooks.

Basically, ABI doesn't think UMPCs and MIDs have a bright future, while netbooks are the new black.

More on ABI, here.