-The economy tanks in 2008. People needing a laptop likely bought a netbook at $300ish 'cuz it did what they needed to do at a price that was remotely affordable.
-Apple announces the iPad, a device that got just as much marketing hype as the iPhone did.
-The economy starts to get a bit better.
-Netbook prices creep up as OEM realize they're selling the things at cost.
-Apple releases the iPad, and it became the must-have gadget of the spring.
-The iPad gets more fanfare after release, the netbook line overall continues to creep up in price such that a high-end netbook and a low-end laptop are within a few dollars of each other.
-Netbook sales plateau as a result.
...and we're using that sequence of events to determine that netbooks have a year to live? IMO that depends on how well the iPad continues to sell, and the satisfaction of the owners. Also IMO, the sales numbers of the second-gen iPad are going to be significantly more telling, since people will have actually seen and used one and likely have a somewhat better idea as to whether it will suit their needs.
Joey
Discussion on:
Message 13 of 1
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