There is a new type of notebook computer in town which some are calling the netbook. It is so named because it is light, fast and Internet-centric. Many of the notebook providers have these computers either on the drawing boards or heading to a store near you. The price points are low and manufacturers are betting that netbooks will create a larger user market and not cannibalize margins of the current market.
Kids and business people are very used to small qwerty type devices, and with iPods and portable DVD players in great favor it’s not a stretch to see small $299 netbooks showing up in backpack’s and bags across the country. Think of them as supplemental portable PCs.
One of the ways netbook manufacturers are keeping prices down is by selling them with Linux rather than Microsoft operating systems. By dumbing these devices down and providing “easy” tabbed operation the “greatest generation” may find netbooks agreeable and become more wired. Easy is as easy does. And that will grow the market.
So let’s see: a small, low price-point computer that will appeal to current computer users and a device that will appeal to “never bought” owners. Sounds like a plan.
Check out the Eee Pc netbook at http://uk.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=24. Also read about the category in the Marketplace section of the Wall Street Journal 4/8/08.