Acer Says Netbooks Aren't Dead

[muchski]

"Apple is currently thrashing them all?" Wow, biased much?

I like Asus's approach of make a killer tablet that matches iPad 2, albeit slightly thicker, but adds in flash support, microsd, mini hdmi out, and then then marries it with a keyboard dock that gives you a further 6-7 hours battery (9-10 +6-7= ~16 hours total), 4 in 1 sd card reader, 2 usb ports, nice physical keyboard and trackpad. Now that's a killer combo. Don't get me started on those bluetooth keyboards for iPad, not nearly as slick or as functional as the Asus Transformer. Oh and it has a higher resolution screen, IPS, and GorillaGlass too. For less than the iPad2, $399 vs $499. Keyboard dock is $100-150 depending where you go.

Asus has married the productivity of netbook with usability of tablet perfectly!

 

[Vestin]

"The death of netbooks seemed immanent (...)"
I always thought it to be quite transcendent...

 

[bustapr]

[citation][nom]muchski[/nom]"Apple is currently thrashing them all?" Wow, biased much?I like Asus's approach of make a killer tablet that matches iPad 2, albeit slightly thicker, but adds in flash support, microsd, mini hdmi out, and then then marries it with a keyboard dock that gives you a further 6-7 hours battery (9-10 +6-7= ~16 hours total), 4 in 1 sd card reader, 2 usb ports, nice physical keyboard and trackpad. Now that's a killer combo. Don't get me started on those bluetooth keyboards for iPad, not nearly as slick or as functional as the Asus Transformer. Oh and it has a higher resolution screen, IPS, and GorillaGlass too. For less than the iPad2, $399 vs $499. Keyboard dock is $100-150 depending where you go.Asus has married the productivity of netbook with usability of tablet perfectly![/citation]
The difference between a netbook and a tablet isnt only the keyboard, its also windows. Netbooks have support for Microsoft word, which is an enormous feat for any college student, or any job. And they also have access to a bunch of free useful apps, and some other more advanced apps. In productivity and usefullness, windows beats netbooks with or without a keyboard. If they make a windows transformer, it would definitely be a good alternative to a netbook.

 

[bustapr]

*lol, meant windows beats android

 

[enforcer22]

[citation][nom]cyrusfox[/nom]UGH! fix the spelling please. Its imminent not immanent!"punch gien"Seriously, I don't want to be a grammar/spelling Nazi but would it kill to proofread a little.[/citation]

Then STFU do you and everyone else a favor.

 

[Guest]

The former Acer CEO got fired because Acer's profits were a fraction of Apple's. The universal complaint of netbook owners is that they're slow. Intel and Microsoft joined forces to cripple netbooks so they wouldn't cannibalize laptop sales. Tablet processors and GPUs are increasing in performance at a faster rate than laptop x86 processors. Companies like Samsung and LG can make their own ARM processors. Netbook sales will decline while tablet sales will skyrocket.

 

[fir_ser]

Maybe netbooks will just start using ARM processors, or even better Nvidia’s own ARM-based processors in late 2012.

 

[eddieroolz]

Wouldn't be surprised if Acer and co. reduces the manufacturing numbers of netbook though.

 

[Belardo]

Putting in a current ARM type CPU into a netbook to run Windows7 will make things worse. ARM is still a small device class CPU. Such 1Ghz CPUs are able to run tablets and phones because the OS is much much smaller than Windows7, which in of itself really needs 14~25GB of space (think of all the updates it'll get).

ie: WindowsXP - Pre-SP1, installs in about 2GB of HD space. (Win98se installs to 350mb) Once you add SP3, IE8 and all the security patches and XP ballons to about 4~5GB of space!


After thinking about it, and how tablets are used. I think the netbook will become a nitch product, well - it already is. Remember, anyone can go into Walmart and for $330~350 pick up a gateway, Acer or Compaq 15" notebook with a low-end desktop intel or AMD CPU (AMD would be the faster one). Typical batter life is about 2hours.

What created the DESIRE of a netbook was a low-cost, very portable web-browsing device that can run a few tools... which is about when the iPhone came out. hence, the name "NETBOOK". It counts on a wifi internet connection to get software.

ASUS had a basic Linux system running on their prototypes and then MS screwed things up as well as demand for a Windows compatible device.

Now with the iPad and tablets working the way they do... MS-Windows becomes less important. Even MS themselves devalued the usefulness of Windows when they are constantly killing/hurting game development? (Hello? Gears of War 2 or 3 for Windows?)

When laying back on the couch, you cannot HOLD a netbook like a tablet or a book. The keyboard *IS IN THE WAY* !! Like typical netbooks, tablets are not well suited for content creation (photoshop, playing high-end games, writing a novel) - so why deal with a space sucking weight gaining keyboard?

Apple went with the 10'1" screen of popular netbooks and made a functional and sellable product... that makes a profit.

The powerful netbooks with Windows Starter or Home costs $380~400 with 1GB RAM... which is about the price of the "expensive" bottom end iPad which boots instantly and has an 8~9hr battery charge. So when you compare a GOOD netbook to an iPad or other $400~500 tablets, you see WHY netbooks ARE and WILL always be a nitch product - that is fine for ultra portable computers or for kids age 2~8.

Ultra portable class are 12~13", usually using AMD E350 CPUs.
Thinn & Light are 13~14", using Core2 or i3 or Fusion Llano class CPUs. (ThinkPad X220, Macbook Air)

For $450, if someone needs a small cheap portable computer - ThinkPad X130s will do, able to run desktop Windows7, yet still have a good size keyboard with a 12" screen.

 

[Guest]

Simple. Just make a swivel screen default on the netbooks with an option for making it touch screen for a few extra bucks with the adapters that are out there.