Netbooks changing the PC game
Summary
Topics
Thanks to telcos, netbooks are selling so well this year they are making a "profound impact" on the PC industry.
A new report from Canalys said 13.5 million netbooks were sold globally in the first half of 2009, anchored around telco bundling deals, with some 50 operators selling netbooks.
The "only PC segment enjoying growth this year" has attracted a new category of consumer buyer and forced PC vendors to cut costs, because of its lower price point and focus on mobility, the report added.
The biggest change to the industry has been telco involvement, it said. Subsidized netbooks have successfully emulated the mobile phone business model, with the market shares of PC vendors impacted "rapidly" by their success in tying up with telcos, said Canalys.
The massive marketing budgets from telcos have pushed netbooks to the forefront of the public consciousness, with "a prominence never before given to PCs".
"Vendors that are not present in the telco channel are missing out on valuable promotional opportunities," it said.
Tim Coulling, Canalys research analyst, raised the example of Samsung, which has deals with "more than half of the telcos currently selling netbooks" in Europe. This has boosted its profile in the PC industry, he said.
"Meanwhile, traditional notebook category leaders--including Lenovo, Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba--have been slow to recognize how quickly the market is changing around them and as a group they have signed fewer than 10 operators," he elaborated.
On the telco end, netbooks have helped justify their infrastructure investments in mobile broadband. By pushing data revenues, netbooks are helping push the business case for LTE (long term evolution) investments, he said.
In the Asia-Pacific region, telco tie-ups took about six months longer to happen, but "activity has accelerated, especially in North Asia".
Daryl Chiam, Canalys senior analyst, said: "More than double the number of netbook deals in telcos in August have been observed, [compared to] June.
"We expect to see a rush of new deals across South East Asia and Oceania toward the end of this year."
Another recent report pegged netbook sales at 22.5 percent of all portable laptops sold, up from only 5.6 percent a year ago.
An IDC analyst too said in an earlier interview, telco netbook promotions have helped raise public interest in the device category.
The analyst noted, however, that more netbooks need to come with 3G integrated, in order to boost 3G subscription numbers.
Talkback Most Recent of 15 Talkback(s)
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The only one not getting it is Apple
Apple is the only one not seeing the market of Netbook form factor... I'll tell you this, many people with Macbooks (4.5 lbs) envy people with netbooks.
dorkiedorkfromdorktown11th Sep 2009 -
Wait until Apple releases a "net tablet"
no one will want a netbook after that.
(The "iPad"?)
GuidingLight11th Sep 2009 -
Apple cannot afford to sell a Macintosh ...
... at netbook price-points. Apple's cellular future lies with the iPhone - and ANYBODY other than AT&T!
mwagner@...11th Sep 2009 -
Apple already has a netbook
It's called the Air, and it is huge sales flop.
T1Oracle11th Sep 2009 -
no, they really don't
A netbook is very light, small, and cheap. An Air has a core 2 duo chip,
13" screen, and NOT cheap
Tony T311th Sep 2009 -
exactly
Apple doesn't sell cheap products. So there could
be no such thing as an Apple netbook. So therefore
their version of a netbook IS the Air.
Jimster48011th Sep 2009 -
Except, it isn't
It's their version of an ultraportable, which is a
different market alongside Dell's $1,500 Adamo
edit: Wrong price, it's 1500 now
Michael Alan Goff12th Sep 2009 -
I told you so ...
... this has been exceedingly obvious for two years now that the netbook's future was with the cellcos.
At $350, a netbook is nothing more than a low-end laptop with all of the same constraints. By getting under the $200 price-point and then adding ubiquitous network access, the netbook becomes a powerful cost-effective alternative to the smart phone.
mwagner@...11th Sep 2009 -
Telcos killed the Seven star...
For all of you who counted on Windows 7 to revive Microsoft after Vista's train wreck, look no further than this article for proof against it.
XP-based Netbooks are here to stay, with prices going below the $200 mark via subscription subsidies. If Microsoft tries to push Windows 7 in this segment, it will get bitten not only by the consumers, but by the telcos, not willing to subsidize for a OS costumers don't ask for.
So it's either Windows 7 at the same price as Windows XP, or Microsoft pushes XP out and telcos go to Google's Chrome, or Microsoft stops meddling with the market and leaves the telco's decide which OS to put.
cosuna11th Sep 2009 -
RE: Netbooks changing the PC game
I won't buy one until I know it runs Window 7 with not problem
scss9811th Sep 2009 -
RE: Netbooks changing the PC game
Yet it doesnt seem to have affected Apples profits at all not
ot be in this space. However, a SIM slot and a 3G card built into a
macbook pro or air would really be nice 8)
chromeronin11th Sep 2009 -
RE: Netbooks changing the PC game
Yep, my Asus EEE is awesome, fits into magazine pocket in air-plane seat, fits into my work bag, 6+ hour battery, blue-tooth, wireless, 160GB drive, Intel atom dual
processor, 2 Gig ram, XP, web cam and stereo mikes, 3 usb
ports, SD camera card slot, headphone socket, bright,
crisp 220mm x 130mm screen (1024 x 768 pixel),
lightweight, fast boot, surf web, update ipod, watch
movie, chat, manage and charge mobile phone, stick a usb
dongle in it and dial up 3G broadband. I do not need a
larger laptop. This unit rocks. Makes me smile every day.
padbury@...11th Sep 2009 -
What kind of EEE do yo have?
It would be great to have an EEE with a dual processor; what model do
you have?
Tony T311th Sep 2009 -
What kind of EEE do I have?
Upon reflection my EPC1000HE with an Atom N280
has dual thread processing capabilities which
it does very well. But it is a "virtual" dual
processor. Using CachemanXP I can see the two
"virtual cores" working at different rates, I'm
told working on different softwares. Increasing
user speed overall. I know that I can play
dvd's crisp and smooth in full screen. Or have
a gozillian websites open simultaneously in
Google Chrome. I get more delays waiting for
things to happen on my desktop than I do on
this netbook.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthreading
"Hyper-threading is Intel's term for its
simultaneous multithreading implementation in
their Pentium 4, Atom, and Core i7 CPUs. Hyper-
threading (officially termed Hyper-Threading
Technology or HTT) is an Intel-proprietary
technology used to improve parallelization of
computations (doing multiple tasks at once)
performed on PC microprocessors. A processor
with hyper-threading enabled is treated by the
operating system as two processors instead of
one. This means that only one processor is
physically present but the operating system
sees two virtual processors, and shares the
workload between them."padbury@...12th Sep 2009 -
kinda
"A new report from Canalys said 13.5 million netbooks
were sold globally in the first half of 2009, anchored
around telco bundling deals, with some 50 operators
selling netbooks."
Is that 13.5 mil only netbooks with telco
bundles, or does that include netbooks without the
deals?
In any case, this is despite ZDNet's occasional
whining about "for only $100 more, you can get a reg
notebook!"
They're very nice devices - and without a data plan,
they're very cheap as well. WiFi is common enough that
I really don't care much for a 3G plan.
CobraA111th Sep 2009
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