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iPad Isn't "Killing" Netbook Sales, According To Paul Thurrott

Posted by timothy on from the only-a-flesh-wound dept.

mantis2009 writes "Paul Thurrott, the prolific technology analyst and Windows expert, reacts strongly to an article highlighted on Slashdot. Thurrott takes numbers from IDC and the Wall Street Journal, indicating that netbook sales have not in any meaningful way been affected by sales of Apple's tablet computer, the iPad. Money quote: '[N]etbooks and sub-12-inch machines will sell 45.6 million units in 2011 and 60.3 million in 2013. If I remember the numbers from 2009, they were 10 percent of all PCs, or about 30 million units. Explain again how the iPad will beat that. Please. Even the craziest iPad sales predictions are a small percentage of that.'"

3 of 457 comments (clear)

  1. Netbooks Vs. iPad? by Manip · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think if the iPad had a competitive price point it might be an interesting battle, one in which the iPad might win... But right now the iPad is priced like a laptop. If you look at the typical Netbook price and the cheapest iPad then we are talking above 100% price increase.

    ePC - £199
    iPad - £429
    "Full" Laptop - £400

    However what you might see happen is the iPad gets bundled with 3G mobile services and winds up costing a fair bit less in relative terms... Netbooks have tried to bundle with 3G but I think it is safe to say it has been fairly unsuccessful.

  2. Re:Watch the messenger by AmigaMMC · · Score: 5, Informative
    I have little use for an iPad, but I just bought less than a month ago a Netbook (Asus Eee PC 1005PCB) and totally love it. It's powerful enough to play all those lame Facebook Flash games, LOL, and actually plays all DivX video without a glitch, something my other crappy HP laptop with 2X core can't do. Battery lasts about 11 hours with normal use and about 7-8 hours watching video. I tried typing on an iPad and couldn't stand it, but I do travel writing and blogging and I don't have a problem typing on my Netbook.

    So, as far as I'm concerned Netbooks are alive and well.

  3. Re:Watch the messenger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    How the hell did this get modded up? Are the mods all math-ignorant retards or what? If growth of my product's sales is 5% year-on-year, I am still losing market share if growth of the entire market is 25% because of the exceptionally high sales of my competitors. You don't need negative growth to lose market share.