20 per cent of laptop buyers opted for netbooks in Q4 08

As Soon As They Had The Option ...

... the buying public chose smaller, less expensive and less complex. Can you imagine that.

Meaningless drivel

What’s the definition of a “netbook” here? Is it the same as the SCC? Without that yardstick then this “market research” is just so much hot air filled with particulate faecal matter…

Is it where the computer is cheap? Sub £300 excludes half the commonly recognised netbooks out there.

Is it where the computer has a sub-12” screen? That will include the premium S101 and some extremely expensive Sony Vaios, Toshiba Porteges and Fujitsu Lifebooks – all fully featured machines.

Is it where the computer can access the net? That includes pretty much everything!

Me

Although I don't like the way the popularity is moving to 10" HDD models.

I like my 8.9" SSD model more.

@Doug Glass

Yup - when I was showing the Asus 700s around last year, just about every student wanted one. This year, they are coming in with their own Aspires & MSIs. Don't forget the education market, just about every LEA and College in the UK will be buying some of these. Most will have XP but some have the Linux variants. Ubuntu runs fine on my Asus 1000.

Amazing, ...

... simply amazing. People actually seem to want to make their lives less complicated. Who'd a thunk it?

And they even want the less flashy OS. Wow, now that's what I call progress.

That's why...

That's why Microsoft is scared. Hadn't the "resurrected" and given away XP, these would all be Linux computers. Then some (non-mutually exclusive) things would have happened:

- not as many netbooks would not have been sold;

- netbooks would have had the OS replaced by an "unofficial" copy of XP or whatever;

- some people would stick to Linux anyway and end up noticing they actually do not need MS for the vast majority of what they do.

MS does not mind the first two. But they are scared shitless by the last possibility, as they seem to have indirectly acknowledged in some presentations (not to speak of actions) recently.

Either way, I guess this netbook success is bad news. At least to people who make and sell expensive, over-spec'ed systems. Economy is bad and all that.

I use Windows ...

.. but I'm NOT a Microsoft fan. The problem I had with Linux (Ubuntu, and give me a break for the next comment) was it just didn't do what I wanted it to do with the ease of XP on a fully functional multimedia/Home Office/Surfing/Email box, i.e. an "over spec'ed system". But I need to think again.

I like simplicity and I like ease of use. Linux (Ubuntu maybe) on a platform such as a netbook, just might be exactly what I'm looking for in a very portable box. Mostly I use it as a portable storage system for photographs since my wife and I are rather proficient amateur photographers and we have post retirement travel in the near future. Specifically, travel with a Windows laptop for use as an email station and as a storage depot for pic files. But the idea of a smaller, simplier netbook with Linux is beginning to make great sense.

I'm really very familiar with the capabilities of Ubuntu and, quite frankly, a netbook with Linux and a BIG external hard drive has all of a sudden become very appealing.

We'll always use Windows, its just too embedded to dump (tried it) but the idea of moving away from a Windows laptop is an idea I need to really consider. Maybe eventually other platforms too. One success usually breeds others and I like that idea.

Advertising

20 percent is 1/3? This needs to be moved to the advertising section where it belongs.

We got two Aspire Ones running Linux

and have been absolutely delighted. We used to take our 13" MacBooks everywhere, but now the Aspire Ones travel instead.

The Wife is happy with Linpus and Acer's consumer friendly front end, but I dropped Ubuntu's Netbook Remix on mine. All the hardware worked out of the box, it boots in one minute and no Microsoft software on it at all.

Best thing - we got two of the 8GB SSD, linux models for the same price we would have paid for of one XP 120GB models. I've never seen clearer evidence of the Microsoft tax.

These are very, very sweet - and economical - little computers. In fact we like them so much we're purchasing a third as it seems Acer is moving to the 10" screen.

Cheaper Laptops

But what about the extended warranty store salesman always lean on you buy? That high-margin add-on is going to be bringing in less and less for the store fronts.