Making Headlines

The world’s largest computer service provider is introducing software for netbooks for the first time in its history, according to news reports.

IBM's latest initiative represents a new attempt at tapping in to the growing market for scaled-down laptops that are gaining in popularity.

The software, called the IBM Smart Work Client, will run on so-called open source Linux programs instead of Microsoft’s Windows.

According to a statement from IBM, the company will start selling the new software in Africa and then expand it into other emerging markets.

Because they are smaller and cheaper than traditional laptops, netbooks may allow certain companies in emerging markets to set up more of their employees with both e-mail and word processing software, IBM management theorizes.

Sales of netbooks are expected to quadruple to $139 million by 2013.

Boasting 400,000 employees of its own worldwide, making it the world's #2 provider of computer services, is striving to gain a foothold in emerging business facets, and locales.

That includes markets around the globe that remain largely unexplored.

Analysts report that the company's revenue from the U.S. dropped to 35 percent last year from almost 40 percent in 2006, a sharp decline by any measure.

At the same time, revenue from Europe, the Middle East and Africa climbed 2 percent in that period. It's no wonder Africa is ground zero for the netbook plan.