X

Intel VP: Netbooks not for adults

The mini-laptops are really just for kids, according to an Intel senior vice president.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
See full bio
Brooke Crothers
2 min read

Remember those first 7-inch Asus Eee PCs advertised with kids tapping on chicklet keyboards? Well, Intel apparently wants us to return to those Netbook glory days.

HP Pavilion dv2 laptop starts at about $700: Will upcoming cheap ultra-thin notebooks kill the Netbook?
HP Pavilion dv2 laptop starts at about $700: Will upcoming cheap ultra-thin notebooks kill the Netbook? CNET Reviews

In short, Netbooks are not for adults, according to Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group, speaking during a keynote speech at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing, streamed on Intel's Web site.

"There are things that you would do on a notebook you wouldn't dream of doing on a Netbook...For a kid, a Netbook is fantastic, as an adult you probably want a notebook. So, there are very simple ways of positioning and thinking about it."

(Hmm...what about all those big people with Netbooks? I guess it's time to trade it in for a grown-up computer.)

Now, contrast this with what Stu Pann, vice president in Intel's sales and marketing group, said back in November of last year at a Raymond James IT Supply Chain Conference.

"We originally thought Netbooks would be for emerging markets and younger kids, and there is some of that. It turns out the bulk of the Netbooks sold today are in Western Europe, North America, and for people who just want to grab and go with a notebook," Pann said.

And Pann added: "If you've ever used a Netbook and used a 10-inch screen size--it's fine for an hour. It's not something you're going to use day in and day out."

What Intel may be doing now is trying to reposition the Atom-processor-based Netbook so it doesn't cannibalize the more lucrative notebook market. This strategy may get a boost when Intel offers non-Atom ultra-low voltage (ULV) mobile processors later this year for ultra-thin notebooks, priced roughly between $500 and $1,000. (AMD is already offering its Neo processor--which is the chip inside the HP Pavilion dv2--for this market.)

But is the Netbook tsunami something Intel really wants to tamper with? Acer just announced an 11.6-inch Aspire One with a 160GB hard disk drive. Is this a Netbook? That's what everyone is calling it. And HP continues to build its Netbook portfolio along with Dell and Asus.