We’ve heard this before in the market, but I suspect this time a $200 netbook will become a reality. Watch for it in 2009 says Asus president, Jerry Shen by way of DigiTimes. I’d expect a netbook costing two bills will be a fairly bare-bones unit with minimal SSD storage and run some variance of Linux but for many this will be a great deal. Then again, the pricing between some Linux netbooks and those with an XP license is a scant $20 so I could be wrong on the OS.
One thing’s for sure: as netbook continue to drop below the $299 price barrier, they become more of an impulse or off-the-shelf while shopping for something else purchase. Even more interesting to watch: how will subsidized netbooks affect the "$200 netbook" market. A free netbook that’s more capable than a low-end unit might be worth the monthly wireless broadband cost and commitment to many.
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