Acer has explained its move away from Linux-only netbook computers, stating that "user demand was not there".

The company's first netbook, the Aspire One, was initially sold with a custom Linux operating system. Today, however, the company announced plans to sell the next generation of the Aspire One with both the Linux-based Android operating system and Windows 7.

"Last year we announced nothing but Linux," said Acer's Jim Wong. "But the user demand was not there. This year we're using Android... together with Windows. And why Android? Because it has the best connectivity built into the OS."

Mr Wong also suggested that user demand for Internet Explorer was a key reason for the move towards installing Windows 7 alongside Android.

"A lot of the time, people are still using their netbook for productivity... and they have better productivity, and a much more comprehensive browser experience, with Internet Explorer," he said.

"Internet Explorer is still dominating. That is not going to change overnight. Is there going to be a single operating system on a netbook, and not Windows? In the future, but not today", he added.