According to an IDC report published last week, notebook computers have officially out-shipped desktop computers for the first time. Notebook shipments in the third quarter of 2008 dominated 55.2% of the market.

Notebooks' dominant share of the market was due to a record number of shipments in Q3 -- over 9.5 million units. This demonstrates that consumers are still hungry for an increasingly mobile computing experience.

In the consumer space, the popularity of notebooks is not a new trend. Consumer notebook sales have beaten desktop sales in past quarters, sometimes taking 70% of shipments. But this is the first time notebook shipments have outnumbered desktops when sales to commercial buyers are included.

IDC notes that the most recent quarter reflects two interesting trends. First, back-to-school laptop sales flooded in late August and early September. Historically, college students often choose laptops over desktops due to their portability. Second, the recent economic downturn which could have influenced purchasing decisions for enterprise IT buyers have yet to dampen demand. Surprisingly, companies have yet to push back their normal hardware update cycles as budgets get tighter due to the economy.