Netbook Sales Dropping Fast
Last updated on 12/03/2010
Tablets are cool, comfortable, and pretty cheap. Why do we need netbooks anymore?
By Liam McCabe
Thanks to tablets like the iPad, netbook sales are dwindling. Sales
were 5 percent higher in April '10 than they were in April '09,
according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty. That seems alright,
growth is growth, but considering that sales were 641 percent higher in
July '09 than July '08, that's a mighty steep decline.
Tablets are fun to use. They feel like they're from the future. Touch interface is still novel. They're a different class of computing device. They can't run demanding software like a notebook can, but that's besides the point. Movies, music, books, browsing, chatting, and gaming (well, easy games) -- perfect on a tablet. That's all that most people use their computers for, so why not trade in a notebook for a cool gadget that does everything you need?
Netbooks are tedious to use. They're cheap, cramped, crippled versions of real notebooks. Yes, they are very portable and very cheap. As a result they feel very disposable. As Steve Jobs put it, "Netbooks aren't better at anything."
Maybe I'm just bandwagon-jumping, being too quick to dismiss netbooks. I just can't think of a compelling reason why they deserve to exist. Can you? Leave them in the comments below.
Tablets are fun to use. They feel like they're from the future. Touch interface is still novel. They're a different class of computing device. They can't run demanding software like a notebook can, but that's besides the point. Movies, music, books, browsing, chatting, and gaming (well, easy games) -- perfect on a tablet. That's all that most people use their computers for, so why not trade in a notebook for a cool gadget that does everything you need?
Netbooks are tedious to use. They're cheap, cramped, crippled versions of real notebooks. Yes, they are very portable and very cheap. As a result they feel very disposable. As Steve Jobs put it, "Netbooks aren't better at anything."
Maybe I'm just bandwagon-jumping, being too quick to dismiss netbooks. I just can't think of a compelling reason why they deserve to exist. Can you? Leave them in the comments below.
Netbook Sales Dropping Fast Comments & Questions (write your own!)
TLC (11/04/2011)
I love tablets but I need a fast word processor on travel. What to do?
reply to this comment (Dave Donaldson — 10/28/2010)
Netbooks may have saturated their market. Everyone I know who has one, and me too, loves their netbook - "exactly for what it does".
At 2.3 lbs, my XP based Acer Aspire One is fast enough to wirelessly stream an entire Netflix movie to my 32" bedroom Sony without a single jump, freeze or jitter. Don't know why, don't know how, don't care either. It just does it. It's rock solid, compact, an easy tow and it's never once crashed or locked up. Nada. I don't even shut it down but once a quarter. The rest of the time it just hybernates, and is never in the same environment when I turn it back on - meaning it has to discover a new IP and LAN environment each time.
This is the best investment I've made besides my bohemath IBM-Lenovo T60, which weighs too much to lug around all day.
One reason why netbook sales may be dropping is...once again Microsoft has destroyed a market with their pig OS slowing the party to a crawl.
XP and Linux based netbooks are fast enough. Win7 based netbooks are slower than snails, and no fun at all. But Microsoft marketing has done it again, and forced retailers to eliminate Linux based machines from their shelves through deals and threats.
reply to this commentAt 2.3 lbs, my XP based Acer Aspire One is fast enough to wirelessly stream an entire Netflix movie to my 32" bedroom Sony without a single jump, freeze or jitter. Don't know why, don't know how, don't care either. It just does it. It's rock solid, compact, an easy tow and it's never once crashed or locked up. Nada. I don't even shut it down but once a quarter. The rest of the time it just hybernates, and is never in the same environment when I turn it back on - meaning it has to discover a new IP and LAN environment each time.
This is the best investment I've made besides my bohemath IBM-Lenovo T60, which weighs too much to lug around all day.
One reason why netbook sales may be dropping is...once again Microsoft has destroyed a market with their pig OS slowing the party to a crawl.
XP and Linux based netbooks are fast enough. Win7 based netbooks are slower than snails, and no fun at all. But Microsoft marketing has done it again, and forced retailers to eliminate Linux based machines from their shelves through deals and threats.
Bill S (09/01/2010)
The obvious answer to me is to choose neither. A laptop is the only way to go. You know--something with space between the keys that you don't have to fight to use....
reply to this commentBrendan (07/30/2010)
Just to be clear, the graph is showing netbook sales peaking, not dropping. Its the rate of growth being plotted.
I think a big driver of sales a year ago was customers wanting to avoid Windows Vista. You had to buy a low-spec netbook to get Windows XP. We can thank Microsoft licensing for that. Now Windows 7 is here there's not the same reason to avoid full-powered laptops anymore, but we've grown to live with (and love, maybe) the smaller form factor.
reply to this commentI think a big driver of sales a year ago was customers wanting to avoid Windows Vista. You had to buy a low-spec netbook to get Windows XP. We can thank Microsoft licensing for that. Now Windows 7 is here there's not the same reason to avoid full-powered laptops anymore, but we've grown to live with (and love, maybe) the smaller form factor.
Craig Janeway (06/24/2010)
Netbooks are needed because they do what they are designed to do, access the net. The market I suspect are individuals that don't need more but less in a portable device; and are willing to pay for what they need and not more for what they don't need. It's a practical device for younger users who's main use is social networking, or for anyone that desires a small format but not too small to be impractical. Those that would use the netbook will most likey already have a more powerfull PC (desktop) to do more demanding tasks. The low price is contray to industry needs to convince us that we need to spend more every year to do what they say we should be doing. The netbook is in protest to people like Mr. Jobs who say that it does nothing better... that's right, it does what it does just fine, and at a cost that I'm willing to pay. I want' to see netbooks drop in price. So far down that they indeed become desposable/replaceable without having to justify the expense. The whole industry needs to rethink their product pricing from the chip on up to finished products. Unless they can drastically cut final cost to consumer, the whole house of cards will come down soon.
reply to this commentRobbysDad (06/07/2010)
I was a huge fan of the concept...but after owning a gateway netbook I think netbooks are CRAP!! I am on my 3 battery (it stops taking a charge) and I have had it for less than a year. The design is actually not convenient, as it is not flat like a standard laptop, the battery double as a "prop up device" which is probably why it stops working. The keyboard is not standard, so I am hitting the wrong key all of the time and they are smaller. Maybe it is ok for someone with small hands but I find it too hard to change the way I have typed for decades. It is fine for a toy, but that is about it. We bought it for the extra computer in the house so that everyone can get on the internet. The screen is just small enough that I might as well just use my iphone. I honestly think it is no different, probably less useful than my iphone.
reply to this commentjai (06/02/2010)
ipad is a closed system u cant even connect a pen drive to it. person who posted this should have been only fond of playing games or watching videos. ipad is just a fantasy, but in a longer run you cant use it for more time since it doesn't have the comfort of the netbook. Both have their own pros n cons and distinct in their usage. So stop comparing them. Current ipads can't replace the purpose of netbooks
reply to this comment (joe — 05/31/2010)
where do you think i can get the best deal
reply to this commentCynthia (05/27/2010)
I absolutely love my netbook. It is small, lightweight and very versatile for what I need to do. I also have two desktops and another lapbook at home but I carry my netbook with me and it is just fine.
reply to this comment (Traveler — 05/27/2010)
They're cheap and small so you can get your work done while traveling without carrying much extra weight, without needing to plug it in very often, and without freaking out if it gets stolen.
reply to this commentLee (05/20/2010)
I disagree regarding the usefulness of netbooks. I own both an HP laptop and an Acer netbook. My desktop died and I started using my laptop as my primary computer. I did not wish to carry the laptop to my writing group meetings.
The netbook I got (the Acer AspireOne carried by Costco) is perfect for my needs. The keyboard is big enough to use, it came with a gig of RAM and 160 gig HD, has Windows 7 Starter, and runs all my software. It is small and light and fits in a much smaller bag than my laptop requires. The netbook cost $500 less than my laptop (and a couple hundred less than an iPad) but does everything I want from a portable computer and more. It is easier to sit at the cafe in Borders with netbooks (two to a table fit fine back to back) instead of laptops (where everyone needs their own table for the computer to fit nicely).
The laptop does offer a dvd drive, and a bigger screen (14.1"), but I don't need the dvd drive when I'm out and about, and the netbook's 10" screen is still plenty. Now that I've carried the netbook, the laptop seems heavy. I love it as my new desktop replacement. No more reaching under my desk.
The tablets such as the iPad are sexy, but unless you want a crick in your neck bending over it to see and type, you need a case to prop it up. Then if you want to type you have to hold your hands bent at the wrists and up against the screen. Using the onscreen touch keyboard means you lose part of the screen to the keyboard and you get fingerprints all over the screen, obscuring whatever you are looking at. Or you buy a keyboard, and maybe a mouse too unless you want to keep reaching forward to touch the screen. So instead of the netbook, you have an iPad or other tablet PC, a case to function as a stand, and the external keyboard, and an external mouse... what was the point? And the tablet option costs more, especially with the add-ons.
The tablets are great for watching movies, reading books or even newspapers on commutes, and are slim and light, but costly and don't improve on netbooks where word-processing functionality comes in. They fill different niches.
In the end, there are uses for all three types of portable computing devices. You just have to try them out and pick what works best for you--what best fills your needs. Having options is a luxury we can afford.
reply to this commentThe netbook I got (the Acer AspireOne carried by Costco) is perfect for my needs. The keyboard is big enough to use, it came with a gig of RAM and 160 gig HD, has Windows 7 Starter, and runs all my software. It is small and light and fits in a much smaller bag than my laptop requires. The netbook cost $500 less than my laptop (and a couple hundred less than an iPad) but does everything I want from a portable computer and more. It is easier to sit at the cafe in Borders with netbooks (two to a table fit fine back to back) instead of laptops (where everyone needs their own table for the computer to fit nicely).
The laptop does offer a dvd drive, and a bigger screen (14.1"), but I don't need the dvd drive when I'm out and about, and the netbook's 10" screen is still plenty. Now that I've carried the netbook, the laptop seems heavy. I love it as my new desktop replacement. No more reaching under my desk.
The tablets such as the iPad are sexy, but unless you want a crick in your neck bending over it to see and type, you need a case to prop it up. Then if you want to type you have to hold your hands bent at the wrists and up against the screen. Using the onscreen touch keyboard means you lose part of the screen to the keyboard and you get fingerprints all over the screen, obscuring whatever you are looking at. Or you buy a keyboard, and maybe a mouse too unless you want to keep reaching forward to touch the screen. So instead of the netbook, you have an iPad or other tablet PC, a case to function as a stand, and the external keyboard, and an external mouse... what was the point? And the tablet option costs more, especially with the add-ons.
The tablets are great for watching movies, reading books or even newspapers on commutes, and are slim and light, but costly and don't improve on netbooks where word-processing functionality comes in. They fill different niches.
In the end, there are uses for all three types of portable computing devices. You just have to try them out and pick what works best for you--what best fills your needs. Having options is a luxury we can afford.
Rob (05/19/2010)
I've said since netbooks first started gaining popularity that there is absolutely no compelling reason to buy one. They're too underpowered, too small and too cumbersome to use. If you absolutely must have the smallest, lightest machine available, why wouldn't you go with a 13" notebook or even an early tablet PC? Then again, I've never seen a 13" or 15" notebook as "too large to carry around".
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