Acer Axing 8.9-Inch Aspire One In Q2 2009?

Could Acer be considering killing off their golden goose?  According to our old friends "industry sources", Acer are planning to phase out the current 8.9-inch Aspire One netbook in Q2 2009, focusing instead on the new 10.1-inch model.  However the smaller Aspire One would reportedly be replaced by a new 8.9-inch enterprise model.

The 10.1-inch Aspire One we've seen so far is apparently made for Acer by Compal Electronics, while the original Acer netbook is  manufactured by Quanta Computers.  While Acer is allegedly considering ending that Quanta contract, they're also said to be planning to outsource two new enterprise netbooks – 10.1-inch and 8.9-inch – to the manufacturer.

What differentiation there is between consumer and enterprise versions could come down to as little as case styling and warranty conditions, given that most netbooks share the same hardware under the skin.  Sales of the 8.9-inch Acer Aspire One apparently pushed the company ahead of rival ASUS according to figures released back in December.