TAIPEI — Taiwan's Acer Inc. said its sales are expected to increase more than 50% in 2008, raising its previous forecast as a result of demand for smaller, cheaper laptops.

"The notebook market is growing for at least the next two to three years, and with the entry of new mobile Internet devices, the market can easily double in size, changing the profile of the industry dramatically," Acer president Gianfranco Lanci said, according to published reports.

"I think all the major PC brands are getting ready to face the change and to manage the change," said Lanci.

Lanci believes Acer could have 16 to 18% of the global PC market by yearend, as the company continues to compete with Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard and Dell Inc.

The company expects to sell 6 to 7 million units of its Aspire One in 2008, and 15 to 20 million units in 2009.