He makes some good points
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| caitlyn May 22, 2009 5:43 PM EDT |
The author makes some very good points. I don't agree with everything here. There are still plenty of $300 and under netbooks that do have more features than the original Eee PC yet still are not quite conventional notebooks. Still, his point about feature creep and price creep is spot on. Sony's new "netbook" costs $1179! It's a rich geek's toy, which is probably why they call it a "lifestyle PC". He is also right that a new generation of low cost netbooks that are small like the original Eee PC, lightweight like the original EeePC, and really inexpensive will probably recapture the market. I see companies like Lenovo and HP and even Dell going in absolutely the wrong direction with their hardware. Linux will capture this market whole because MS is just not ready with Windows for ARM or MIPS or PowerPC. |
| hkwint May 22, 2009 7:15 PM EDT |
Mary Lou Jespen, one of the most important persons behind OLPC - which I mentioned in the other thread - envisions notebooks _without_ an OS. Not going to happen anytime soon, she has been a bit too positive before - but sure interesting. If that happens both Linux and Windows will lose market share. |
| azerthoth May 22, 2009 8:53 PM EDT |
His conclusion from the word go is flawed. 1: OLPC not Eee was the first of the latest 'netbook' craze. Nor is this the first such, there have been similar product in the last decade this however it seems to have caught on. The HP Jornada comes to mind. 2: Cost, you can find them as low as $160 US or those being marketed for the more cash than brains crowd (iLemming). So the cost comparison is now gone. 3: Availability, this is the only point he has. As he is in Oz and no one is marketing there like they are in North America. Overall, the fact that more and more companies are signing on with new netbooks, many of which do not and can not run windows puts the lie to the 'no netbook' market. Sorry, I see this as a guy see's no use for netbooks so therefor they must be just marketing hype. |
| Steven_Rosenber May 22, 2009 9:03 PM EDT |
I still think a $100 netbook aimed at adults that does Web browsing and leverages Web-based apps via Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity is something that would be very attractive and sell like the proverbial hotcakes. Even at $150. |
| caitlyn May 22, 2009 9:06 PM EDT |
azeroth: I think you misunderstand him completely. He doesn't disparage netbooks. Rather he says the manufacturers have adopted the label to cover things that don't fit the original model and really shouldn't be called netbooks. In that, IMHO, he is correct. He sees new machines coming to market that will truly be netbooks again and that is where is he sees opportunities for Linux. I think he's right on that point. Cost is what drove the netbook craze. There has never been a previous netbook craze. The Jornada (which didn't run any popular OS, just WinCE), the Toshiba Libretto, the IBM PC 350, or any others you care to mention were expensive and were tiny niche market items. None have ever been popular like netbooks are today. Any comparison is really apples to oranges. I still see cost as a driving factor and clearly so do the manufacturers targeting the low end with ARM and MIPS based machines. Availability, even in North America, was and is in decline for Linux based systems. The new low cost machines are what will likely invigorate Linux. Sorry, I think you misunderstand his conclusions and I don't agree with any of your points. |
| azerthoth May 22, 2009 9:32 PM EDT |
ah, so because of the OS the Jornada does not fall into similarity to a netbook? I did not say that there was a previous craze, just that there were similar product which could have spurred it but did not. Perhaps you are referring to the incontestable fact that the OLPC and not the Eee is the base for the current netbook craze? As to the point on cost, you agreed with my point in your comments already, disclaiming it in closing is disingenuous. Perhaps I misunderstand him, on the other hand, I think he is drawing comclusions from local observation in an area that is already admittedly under marketed and artificially prohibited from market penetration by the distributors and manufacturers, If you dont believe that point, ask Tracyanne how well it went when she decided she wanted to start selling the little beasties. |
| caitlyn May 22, 2009 9:47 PM EDT |
Thanks for the name calling. I did not agree with your point. Yes, I said there are still inexpensive netbooks. I did not agree with: [quote]Cost, you can find them as low as $160 US or those being marketed for the more cash than brains crowd (iLemming). So the cost comparison is now gone[quote] First, where on earth do you find them for $160? Second, there has been feature creep and an increase in the number of more expensive toys and a decrease in low cost Intel boxes. Yes, you can still find some under $300. That doesn't equate to what you said. Cost comparison is not gone. It will be with the new ARM and MIPS machines (not out yet) if they come in at the projected price. That's still a big "if". What he said, which is valid, is that all kind of things are called netbooks that don't fit the original definition. I do disagree with your "incontestable fact" and I wholeheartedly contest it. The OLPC was the inspiration for the Eee and all the followed. It was the Eee PC that first sold in numbers and reached a mass audience. I have already said I don't agree with all of his statements. I think many of his conclusions are as valid in North America as in Australia. |
| azerthoth May 22, 2009 10:13 PM EDT |
Actually I the $160 is from an LXer article and comment you personally made just earlier today. http://lxer.com/module/forums/t/29035/ . Now saying that the top end of the spectrum is a valid part of the argument is just silly. When it comes to computing hardware, the sky has always been the limit. We have for the sake of this argument an established floor and features to use to define 'netbook', everything past that is just gravy and opinion, just like those who prefer mac's to the same hardware without a glowing logo made by dell or HP. What the market will bear for those who equate money and quality. If you agree the the OLPC was the inspiration for the Eee then you have in fact agreed that the OLPC was the inspiration from the entire genre. Please dont take it as name calling either, as you "don't agree with any of your points" when the statement wasnt true when you made it. That I called you on it is uncomfortable, but none the less true. |
| caitlyn May 22, 2009 10:21 PM EDT |
I don't agree with any of your points. That is the truth. You can twist my words every which was you want it doesn't translate to agreement. The OLPC did not launch the netbook craze. That didn't happen until the EeePC. The $160 is a price for what right now is vaporware. Conz (the author) sees that machine as part of the change he is touting, not as part of the current crop. His whole argument is that the spectrum has shifted towards the top end. Therefore discussing the higher end, where most machines are, is not silly. You are merely being dismissive. Disingenuous is a nice way of saying "liar". Sorry, my position has been consistent no matter how you try and twist it. |
| azerthoth May 22, 2009 10:37 PM EDT |
*sigh* This is where I fall back to mirriam-websters, discover that I used the word correctly as I saw and still see it. Decide that we are going to maintain this disagreement, that it is pointless, and bid you good day. |
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