Comments on: What’s in Store for the Future of Netbooks?

By: Jorge Orwell

Jorge Orwell — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:58:51 +0000

Netbooks will soon receive transreflective LCD screen allowing use without a backlight in many situations (outdoors, brightly lit indoors) this will increase battery life.

A touch screen (with a power off switch) will be added – along with an accelerometer which will enable automatic screen switching(vertical/horizontal) – making a netbook a very good ebook reader.

Ubiquitous wifi will enable voip, this may require a bit of programming to add a powersaving mode when using voip 24/7 – a wake on call function of some sort.

Netbooks are too handy and too good to go away, USB flash drives are available in higher density than dvd discs and require less energy than spinning a disc – netbooks really don’t need a cd/dvd drive – this will enable them to become thinner and sexier than the big old clunky notebooks.

Eventually the market splits – very full featured netbooks in 2 tiers

tier1
sub 250 usd$ – very light email voip e-reader mp3 player – market sector = teens/tweens/travelers & people who hate cell phones
tier2
250-500 usd$ -longer battery life, bigger screen,bigger keyboard, faster cpu
this will eat most of the current personal notebook sector – market sector = travelers/most personal computers/people who keep their stuff for several years/ – these will kill the desktop computers.

Laptops will split
tier1
500 – 1000 – bigger screens, more powerhungry, more powerful cpus & gpus
mostly corporate buyers and portable game junkies = market sectors
tier2
1000-2000 – uber netbooks, blue-ray, wireless & wired switch/hub functions/ 2 or more cameras and microphones, larger speakers, 5.1 – detachable speakers – all the toys your money can buy. = mostly wannabe tech junkies, video editors, movie production types, music production, cad/cam or other very high end/ high margin businesses that can justify the expense vs rendering time.

my best guess, greener less power hungry computers will be the reason most people upgrade their computers – the new netbooks will own this business.

By: turn.self.off

turn.self.off — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:59:12 +0000

i suspect smartbooks will replace netbooks, rather then try to get somewhere between the smartphone and the netbook.

still, celio should really get going on android support for redfly and similar, as i think interest in their products would explode then, especially if paired up with android running on top of cortex or snapdragon.

By: gman

gman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:58:18 +0000

What people aren’t thinking about is smartphones. If you have a smartphone why would you need a so called smartbook? Smartphone will be able to do pretty much everything you would need, wait for this…..except for being able to type on it. Enter netbook. Smartphone – Netbook – Laptop. Why on earth would anyone need something in between that? Sheesh. If price is going to be some selling point, let’s see how much a Tegra netbook or Android or Chrome OS netbook is going to cost. Then what happens? They will likely be half the price of today netbooks. Nuff said.

By: Curtis Carmack

Curtis Carmack — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:03:13 +0000

I do think that the “smart book” category is going to be big. Price (and not size) will be a huge driver outside the US, Japan, Australia, and the EU. Dropping down from from the $300-$400 range to the sub $200 range will make a big difference in accessibility for 60%+ of the world’s population. I also see this as a way that Linux (Moblin, Ubuntu, whatever) will spread even further than it has so far. This is not to say that these devices won’t sell in the more developed markets — I believe that they will. It’s just that they won’t need to be a huge success here in the US to be a huge success overall.

By: turn.self.off

turn.self.off — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:53:07 +0000

funny about that moblin, as its basically taking what asus and xandros did with the eeepc distro to the logical extreme, rather then slap bog standard xp on it.

i think that made the first eeepc unique, not that asus played around with linux, but that they dared move away from the classical desktop (if not as radical as moblin is doing).

now its just about only dell, and only in select markets (USA and other english speaking ones mostly).

By: turn.self.off

turn.self.off — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:49:02 +0000

acer had a c200 that was similar, tho the keyboard was not removable.

what i think happened was that the ODM’s found it easiest to sell the rotating hinge type screen to anyone and everyone, as overall the parts where highly similar to existing laptops.

mass production, while may be driving down price, have killed quite a lot of creativity in the market.

By: Rodfather

Rodfather — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:45:02 +0000

Besides Win7, dual-core Atom, Nvidia ION, and larger screens, it’ll be pretty much the same. Due to Microsoft restrictions, the specs will still be consistent.
We’re still seeing Atom N270 chips in netbooks and it’s been a good year or 2 since they were released. It’s at a nice price point so there won’t be much fudging with what is successful.

I don’t see much gain in the smartbook area. It’ll be a niche device.. but it’ll be interesting to see how many different device form factors companies will come up with just to put Android on there.

I’m still curious what kind of devices Intel Moorestown will end up in.

By: gman

gman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:45:42 +0000

People can bite me over what “smartbooks” are “going to become”. I LOL at that thought. Perhaps those folks have stakes in the future of those. The reality if you care, is that the 7 and 8 inch netbooks have not seen growth. Why? Simple. It’s called a keyboard. A netbook will and always should be simply a computer that is small enough to fit a full size keyboard. That would be right around the 11 inch mark. Most people who use the internet like to do what? Type on a keyboard. Yes, it’s true. You can’t squeeze a good keyboard onto <10" computers. So, stick another fork in smartbook. The definition of netbook is a frustrating one, because you have the industry wanting to call their computers "laptops" "notebooks" or now "ultra thins" so they can get a bit better return on their sales. However, the public doesn't care about that. Netbook is organic and you just can't slap a label on something an expect it to stick.

The future of netbooks? These will be like the iPod nano's of the future. I'm sure we thought that 6" laptop that weighed 9 pounds was pretty good. What happens? Better, small, faster. ION netbooks will pretty much blow the doors off any limitations that folks might have had on netbooks. If you can do your gaming and internet on a computer, why wouldn't you want that computer to be the smallest package possible? Fact is, you would. That's why I come full circle to a netbook being a computer that is sized just big enough to fit a full size keyboard. End of story. Remember folks, ION will be the future of netbooks.

By: seamonkey420

seamonkey420 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:04:14 +0000

i agree with you on that one totally as an ex tc1x00 user. it is still to this day the best form factor i’ve used for a tablet. the fact that you could snap off the keyboard and go was beautiful!

now thinking of that w/multitouch capabilities and the geek inside shivers in glee! i’m always a bit sad to see no one else try that form factor and that hp never followed up such a great design w/a revision. the tc1000/1100 cult could really help any company hammer out the best tablet pc design yet.

i agree w/fragmentation and also netbooks pricing themselves right out of the category of netbook (w/added premium features). however, the lowend netbook will always exist because it will just sell.

please hp, bring back the TC!!

By: Luscious

Luscious — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:31:23 +0000

I see big potential in the smartbook sector, thanks in part to how much the smartphone market has developed with better and better handhelds. Fusing together the best that a netbook/smartphone duo can deliver into the form factor of a Jornada clamshell has to be the next big thing. Add to that a full-size multi-touch display and you have the most powerful pocketable device ever conceived.

By: gmazin

gmazin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:08:18 +0000

Dare you question the might and wisdom of Apple with your remark? Such heresy must not be allowed!

I am still using a 8.9″ 900HA netbook and I don’t see myself changing it for anything else.

By: Gavin Miller

Gavin Miller — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:57:44 +0000

Wow. Just wow.

By: Thug McCalister

Thug McCalister — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:13:38 +0000

Windows OSes always start out running nice and briskly. Then….as you fill up that nasty NT Registry….it will slowy crawl like a dog that don’t hunt no more. This WILL happen with Windoze 7 just like ALL the previous windows. Listen to me now and you can believe me later.

By: Thug McCalister

Thug McCalister — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:09:09 +0000

Look for Apple to redefine the netbook space in short order (like 2010 and beyond). If you wanna be a playa in 2010 you will most surely have to FOLLOW in the mighty footstep of the Apple Gods (or is it God). Anyway I am still waiting for that Super-sized iPod…holding breath…crossing fingers….on my knees…you can do this Apple.

By: Tax Man

Tax Man — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:55:29 +0000

Like you, I’m a big believer in netbooks even for business usage. I’ve recently started using an HP Mini 110 running Windows 7 Starter Edition as my main mobile machine. Even though it wasn’t a processor upgrade from me previous netbook, an EEE PC 901, I aimed too small with screen and keyboard with my first try. I like the 10″ screen and bigger keyboard much better. Windows 7 is a solid performer too (even starter edition). I’m not going to upgrade to Home Premium until I encounter something I can’t do that I need (other than change the background. GRRR!)

By: Gavin Miller

Gavin Miller — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:46:55 +0000

I see the TC1000/1100 form factor reintroduced as the new defacto standard, with multitouch capacitive, but penabled, screens for current netbook prices.

Grateful if you and James could use your influence to sort that Kevin. Thanks. :-)

I still remember the huge excitement and buzz surrounding the 701. I just think we now need to see a bit of innovation in the space whereby we lose some of the current compromises, maybe some clever fold out keyboards and some more Ion goodness.

That being said I reckon netbooks will become bigger screened ultrathins.