A recent report suggests that Netbooks are doomed to die.

Although the smaller computers were all the rage just a few years ago, the popularity of iPads, smartphones, and tablets have essentially pushed the devices to the background. The demand has dropped to the point that some believe the machines will no longer ship in 2015.

A report released by IHS iSuppli suggests that demand for the computers will decrease nearly 72 percent during 2013. Although suppliers will ship around 3 million units over the course of the year, it’s believed that only 264,000 computers will be shipped in 2014. In other words, it would seem that Netbooks are doomed.

IHS analyst Craig Stice said in his report:

“Netbooks shot to popularity immediately after launch because they were optimized for low cost, delivering what many consumers believed as acceptable computer performance. However, netbooks began their descent to oblivion with the introduction in 2010 of Apple’s iPad.”

Since the Netbook couldn’t compete with the portability and the functionality of Apple’s iPad and its competitors, it looks as though the computer’s days are limited. In fact, the recent IHS report stated that many manufacturers have already started pulling the plug on the machine.

The report continued:

“From the supply end of production, the major original equipment manufacturers of notebooks will have already terminated netbook production at this point. Whatever production is left is expected to be limited, or manufacturers will simply be shipping last-time builds to satisfy contractual obligations to customers.”

When the Netbooks first debuted, retailers couldn’t keep the items on shelves. It’s reported that around 32.4 million machines were sold in 2010 alone. However, those numbers have tapered off considerably in recent years.

Fans of the Netbooks will have other similar devices to choose from once the doomed machines have left the market. Several different Ultrabooks and notebook PCs are currently available through various retailers for a relatively low price.

Do you agree that Netbooks are doomed to extinction?

[Image via Shutterstock]

Netbooks Are Doomed, Will Become Extinct By 2015 is a post from: The Inquisitr

While the tablet market has been red hot over the last 12 months the executives at Acer are taking a different approach, going all in with second-generation ultabook models in the second quarter of 2012 and then with new models in Q3 2012.

Company chairman JT Wang announced on Thursday that his company’s goal will be for ultrabooks to account for 25-35% of company sales in 2012.

The company’s plans come after the Acer Aspire S3 brought in sales of 250,000-300,000 units in the first quarter of launch. Acer suspected that word of mouth will help the Aspire S5 tablet PC will sell even better.

The company is also planning to push their reach further into Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand and other Southeast Asia markets which will allow Acer to make up for slowing sales in the US and parts of Europe.

According to DigiTimes:

Acer’s notebook shipments are expected to drop 10-15% sequentially in the first quarter of 2012, but total shipments for all of the year will still post an on-year growth of 10%, said the company.

In the meantime very little mention of the once red hot Netbook market has been made yet. What we do know is that Acer hopes to have $499 ultrabooks ready for sale by 2013.

Are you willing to take a closer look at Acer Ultrabooks if you haven’t purchased one already?

Acer’s New Battle Plan: Sell A Ton Of Ultrabooks, Phase Out Netbooks is a post from: The Inquisitr

Acer plans to continue their Netbook push into 2012 according to company Vice President Scott Lin. Citing an increased need in developing countries including India, Indonesia and China he says they will still create the netbooks to satiate the need for certain regions where tablets are not yet in demand.

Lin told DigiTimes that Samsung and Dell backing out of the industry, especially in China, could allow Acer to grab a larger market share and fill the void that other major computer retailers are leaving behind.

While the announcement is good news for Acer it does show that they realize the shift in product types as they shift their attention towards specialized markets rather than attempting to keep their notebooks mainstreamed.

Over the summer Acer remained the world’s largest Netbook provider with 1.7 million units sold and a 22 percent market share.

In the meantime Lin continues to underplay the impact the iPad has had on the market, stating that Apple’s impact will continue to dwindle heading into the new quarter.

In the meantime Acer’s “Ultrabooks” have failed to gain the pop culture momentum the company had hoped for while Asus and Samsung have both stepped back to focus more of their efforts on the burgeoning tablet market, mainly through the use of the Google Android OS.

Do you think offering their netbooks in specialized markets is the right move for Acer as they attempt to keep their netbook segment alive and kicking or should they focus more of their attention on the growing tablet market in developed countries?

Acer VP Scott Lin Says Netbooks Will Remain In Production is a post from: The Inquisitr

Let’s get one thing straight, that new Classmate+ PC is basically an Intel Classmate, branded with the Lenovo name and given the “+” symbol with a better processor thrown in for good measure.

The computer features a 10.1 inch netbook design with a brand new Atom N570 processor and other basic netbook features including Windows 7, 1GB RAM, 1.3 megapixel camera and WiFi.

Also offered are three cell and six cell battery options, although we would suggest the six cell option for far better use time.

As expected the netbooks will not be available to the public, but instead sold in bulk to educations facilities, agencies and developing world customers.

According to Engadget:

158,000 are already set to be deployed this spring in Buenos Aires. See kids, netbooks are far from dead!

I’m not a huge fan, but I like the handle which makes the netbook easy to carry around throughout the day without need for a case.

Classmate+ PC For Kids Released By Lenovo and Intel is a post from: The Inquisitr

The 1.66GHz Intel N570 CPU has made it’s way into several refreshed versions of HP’s Mini 110 and 210 netbooks.

Along with HP’s plans to begin shipping the new CPU in those units by the end of the month (in Japan), Intel has finally ponied up some specs, including the speed (1.66GHz), thread count (4) and L2 cache (1MB). The unit will also offer 8.5W TDP with DDR3-667 memory.

The quick move to ship after only announcing the chips arrival last month is more than likely in response to AMD’s own Zacate E-350 processor which has been receiving a considerable amount of press and positive feedback.

Let the netbook CPU wars begin and in the meantime, feel free to let us know what you think about both options (AMD and Intel).

HP Mini 110 and 210 Get Refreshed With 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m a big fan of the Acer Aspire One series and the Aspire One E100 model is no different.

Featuring dual-boot Windows and Google Android operating systems, the netbook promises to please a wide range of users while bringing with it affordable specs for casual computer buyers.

The device features a yet to be revealed Atom processor, alongside 1GB RAM and 250GB hard drive while promising eight hours of use on the devices Netbook standard 10.1 inch display.

Also added to this special edition Netbook is a special rubber coating and the option to brand the Netbooks with school names.

If Acer brings in enough colors to please most students, the Netbook could be a whole new way to show off your school spirit and then waste your time playing Angry Birds in glass via the Android boot option.

Acer Aspire One E100 Education Netbook Debuts, Includes Android And Windows is a post from: The Inquisitr

When HP purchased Palm they promised that ebOS would not only continue to develop, but eventually be offered on more than Smartphones and the HP Slate and today they have “unofficially” confirmed that they are working on webOS Netbooks.

The announcement of the Netbook option comes from a carrier training website for HP which highlights the upcoming features of the webOS product, in those training materials HP points to Phones, Slates and Netbooks as the future of the operating system.

The training video says webOS will be most beneficial when the synergy of webOS based smartphones, slates and netbooks are used in tandem with one another.

A few days ago Todd Bradley said the company was working on creating a fully “connected experience” and now it looks like that experience is getting closer to a final set of introduction products.

Are you willing to test out webOS on a netbook? With the systems awesome multi-tasking capabilities I’m all game.

HP Promises webOS Based Netbooks [Training Leak] is a post from: The Inquisitr

HP Mini 5103 To Receive Dual-Core Atom N550 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Acer Aspire One D255 dual-core PC is now shipping in the U.S.

The unit unfortunately doesn’t include the dual-boot Android/Windows operating system option that the Taiwanese version carries, but it does come pre-loaded with Windows 7 Started Edition and offers a 250GB HDD.

For $400 users also receive a 1.5GHz N550 dual-core processor, that’s in comparison to the 1.66GHz single-core processor offered on their other netbook options in the Aspire lineup.

What else will you get for the money? A 10.1″ display with 1024×600 pixels of resolution, 1GB DDR3 RAM and a six cell battery that they say will give you eight hours of battery life.  The unit also offers a rather standard weight of 2.8 pounds.

Users can pick up the netbook in four colors at this time: blue, red, black and brown. [Electronista]

Acer Begins Shipping Dual-Core Aspire Units In U.S. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Acer, like most manufacturers have went Intel happy with their Netbook computers, especially with the release of PineTrail processing, now the company may be getting ready to feature a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor in their soon to be released Aspire One 521.

That same Netbook is reportedly also expected to feature an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics card with an AMD M880G chipset.

Throw in a cool looking design with a nicely etched Aspire One label and the unit looks more like a high end Macbook Pro than what I assume will be a budget friendly connected device.

No word yet on pricing or a release date, but given the need for better looking, slightly higher end netbooks, we’re hoping for sooner rather than later. [Macles]

Acer Aspire One 521 Netbook With AMD Love? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lenovo today announced a new addition to their U.S. netbook arsenal with the Lenovo IdeaPad S30-3s.

The netbook offers a typical Intel Atom N470 process, comes equipped with a 10.1-inch display that offers 16:9 Widescreen capabilities and provides a High-Def LED backlit display.

Lenovo has also thrown in other netbook standards which inlcude the Intel GMA 3150 graphics card, 2GB DDR2 DRAM (533MHz) and hard drive space for drives up to 320GB. If Solid State Disks are more your flavor Lenovo is also offering 16 and 32GB SSD’s.

Connectivity on the device is provided via Bluetooth, Ethernet, WiFi and a 3G SIM card slot for mobile browsing. Users are also offered three USB 2.0 ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, 3.5mm headset jack, an integrated mic and a VGA out port.

If you don’t mind a $380 price tag (base model) this might just be the tiny tote for you. [SlashGear via Pocket Lint]

Lenovo IdeaPad S30-3S Gets Some US Love, Standard Netbook Features is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Fujitsu MH330 is a sleek looking Netbook that offers pretty much what we’ve come to expect from Netbooks, including the Intel N450 processor running at 1.66Ghz.

The MH330 also offers a 250GB hard drive, comes with integrated Bluetooth 2.1 and offers connectivity via WiFi 802.11b/g/n.

The netbook also offers a 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels resolution with a contrast ration of 400:1 and LED backlighting.

For users worried about spills the keyboard is even resistant to those moments, while a DVD sharing application lets your PC’s optical drive share your player for quick installs and general use.

The MH330 also features a 3-cell battery, although we assume higher capacities will be available at some point. Unfortunately Fujitsu has yet to release running times based on the smaller battery.

The unit debuts in Singapore for what looks to be a $500 USD price tag and we aren’t sure at this time if this one will hit store shelves in the United States. [Electronista]

Fujitsu MH330 Netbook Debuts With PineTrail, Spill-Resistant Keyboard is a post from: The Inquisitr

I will now burn in hell for using such an obvious hyperbolic title to try and get your attention as we try to bring you news, any news, that isn’t about stupid April Fool’s attempts at humor or about the coming tsunami of iPad regurgitation. So I figured that maybe some late breaking and extremely important news about the state of the netbook market might be of interest.

Netbooks?

Ya those incredibly small wannabe laptops that are responsible for more hand cramping than an evening of teasing at a strip bar. Mind you they have about the same size screen as the iPad is reported to have so really as a good friend of mine would say – why spend all that money on one single iPad that is sure to cause even more hand cramping when you could instead get 6 Acer netbooks and have a party of hand cramping.

However as we all prepared to be rolled over by the yummy goodness of the iPad it appears that both Dell and HP are concerned about both the coming of the iPad and the current glut of netbooks that they say exist.

How concerned?

Well according to DigiTimes concerned enough that they are pulling resources from the netbook market and quite possibly vacating it altogether.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Dell have both significantly reduced their investments in the 10-inch netbook segment, with HP reportedly even considering quitting the 10-inch netbook market and turning its focus to AMD-based 11.6-inch notebooks because profits from Intel Pine Trail-based netbooks have been lower than expected, according to sources from notebook makers.

I’m not sure if this was part of Jobs’ world domination plans but I’m willing to bet he’ll take any victories where he can get them.

[this post while using liberal amounts of tongue and cheek does contain a kernel of truth unlike a lot of so-called April Fool's posts]

Netbooks are dead in the water, and it’s not iPad’s fault is a post from: The Inquisitr

What does Asus have now…about 100 netbooks? At this point I don’t want or believe anyone needs another Asus mini-laptop, but apparently Asus disagrees with the release of the Asus 1005PR.

This newest offering provides a standard 10.1 inch display with 720p resolution, Broadcom BCM 70015 HD decoder and the Intel Atom N450 processor. The netbook also offers 1GB and 2GB RAM options, 250GB HDD and 500GB of Asus online storage.

Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 with enhanced data rates, plus a really crappy .6MP webcam. At least the 6 cell battery offers a bit of promise with 11 hours of run time. Ports include three USB 2.0 options, VGA out, RJ45 and a multi-card reader and headphone/mic jacks.

According to SlashGear “The 1005PR will be offered in black, white, pink and blue and will cost in the $400 range.”

I just feel like we’ve seen this all before….like a few hundred times already.

Asus Eee 1005PR Gets Official is a post from: The Inquisitr

With Intel announcing the Atom N470 processor it didn’t take very long for new device announcements to occur. The first? Gigabyte who announced their Gigabyte TouchNote T1000, a convertible netbook-tablet with a 10.1 inch display that outputs at 1,366 x 768 pixels.

Gigabyte will offer the unit in both N450 and N470 setups, with a 1.86GHz processor, a 4-cell 4,500mAh battery on the T1000X model and a 6-cell, 7,650mAh on the T1000P.  Both netbooks also feature a 1GB RAM setup, 250GB HDD’s and an Intel GMA 3150 GPU.

Both netbooks also offer Bluetooth 2.1 with enhanced data rates and WiFi b/g/n with 10/100 ethernet.

Users will also receive two USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA/USB combo port, audio in/out ports, a VGA slot and an express card option located next to a multiformat memory card. The unit also gets a 1.3mp camera and 1.5w stereo speakers.

No price of availability at this time, but with CeBIT 2010 later this week, we expect to hear more shortly.

[SlashGear]

Gigabyte TouchNote T1000 Gets Atom N470 Love is a post from: The Inquisitr

Does anyone else feel like they’ve been reading fanfiction on the iPad since the summer and now we’ve gotten the book canon and don’t know what to make of it?

I’ll admit it up front- I’m a reluctant ex-switcher. I needed more power than my dinky yet beloved iBook could provide and got a Dell last March. My life has been hellacious since. In addition to pieces beginning to fall off the thing almost immediately, it’s slow, ugly and doesn’t charge. My iBook had problems exactly twice- once when my ex stompled on it while I slept and once when my daughter accidentally pitched it onto a concrete floor. Part of why Apple has such a loyal fanbase is that their products suck way less than the competition. If I were a dude, I’d rather clap my dick shut in this very laptop than ever purchase another Dell. But enough about how Dell blows.

So, the iPad. Let’s get the collective giggling out of the way. Ha ha ha iTampon ha ha. Kotex hurr. Off the bat it’s a ridicucrunkulous name, and although it’s in line with the iPod line of MP3 domination, it sucks on its own. For a long time, women will not be able to parse the new Apple tablet from an aesthetically pleasing white cord emanating from their hoo-has. Silly Apple. Now on to the specs, and I shall partially be cribbing off of James from earlier, thanks dude.

Price

Okay, so this was a shocker- while most priced the iPad speculatively at between 800-1200 clams, some as high as 1800, the actual product came in at the unJobsworthy price of $499 to start, $829 at the high end. The entry level iPad’s rocking an unimpressive 16GB of memory, with 64GB on the high end. I anticipate this will be the most, if not one of the most, talked about aspects of the JesusSlate.

No camera

Not for shooting, not for webcam sex, this baby’s totally blind on the cam front. Bummer.

Accelerometer & digital compass

I have no idea what the first one is, and no idea what the point is with the second.

Speaker & microphone

…for ugly people who want to have remote sex. Isn’t technology fabulous?

Size and battery life

9.7-inch display, half an inch thick. 10 hours of use with a month of standby.

Arsenic, BFR, PVC and Mercury Free

Like you all give a frick. You know you’d have bought it even if every time you checked your e-mail a baby seal died and the device tore a hole in the ozone layer, you great big bunch of slacktivists.

How do I get to the internet on it?

Wi-fi and a 3g package at $29.99 a month for “unlimited usage.” Oh, plus 3G models will run you an extra $130 to start, on top of the price of your tablet. So, if you wanna run 3G on your iPad in year one alone it will cost you at least $490. Burn.

Watch out Amazon

It looks like Apple’s ready to crack the e-publishing industry wide open, like it sort of did by getting everyone to start paying for music again sometimes with iTunes. Let’s face it, while I dig the Kindle app for iPhone, the efforts with magazines and newspapers have been anemic at best, and it seems like Apple might be setting up shop in that underserved market. Instead of a boring old list, the iPad will present your books on a picture of a wooden shelf, which might warrant the $499 price tag all by its lonesome. I’d like to check out the iBooks app in depth before I pee all over it or declare it better than Jack White sex.

Overall, it’s unlocked (screw you, AT&T!), cheap for what it is, and Apple made it. While the critiques are coming fast and furious right now, I think this thing is going to find its niche immediately and dig in with claws. No one owns one yet, so we’ll have to make do with the clip below to give it a once over before the overnight lining up at the Apple store begins.

Video, via Mashable:

The JesusSlate is called the iPad: is it going to be awesome or suck? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Asus describes their Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008P perfectly in their display at CES this year, calling the unit an “Elegant design encased in style” which is exactly what the unit is, plus it features some nice, albeit it common netbook features to match the units look.

The 1008P comes equipped with the Intel N450 Pine Trail processor, features Windows 7 and offers a 10.1″ LED Backlight WSVGA with 1024 x 600 pixels of resolution with frameless type.

The units also ship with two hard drive options: 250GB + 500GB Asus WebStorage and 320GB + 500GB Asus WebStorage. While they also offer 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Optional) and 6 hours of battery life, plus an integrated 1.3MP webcam.

The unit is also ultra slim at only 1″ thickness while weighing only 1.1kg. Overall a great unit, with a sleek design, a comfortable keyboard and nice dimensions that will also make you forget its there in the first place.

Asus Eee PC Seashell 1008P Karim Rashid Collection At CES 2010 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Google Chrome OS centric Netbook won’t release until sometime in late 2010, however specs for the device have been revealed, although not yet confirmed by Google.

According to Gizmodo, the netbook will come equipped with an ARM-based CPU and NVIDIA Tegra chipset, while also featuring a netbook standard 10.1 inch display. The netbook is also apparently slated to feature a multitouch-capable touchscreen, 720p HD video and a 64GB Solid State Disk (SSD) plus 2GB RAM.

The unit will also offer a ton of connectivity in the form of 3G, WiFi, Ethernet and Bluetooth, alongside an audio in/out port, card reader with various formats supported and a webcam.

If those reports are in fact correct, the below $300 price tag may also stick, but only if users are willing to sign a subsidized contract with whichever mobile carrier decided to pick up the Chrome OS netbook. [Via Gizmodo]

Google Chrome OS Netbook Gets “Unofficial” Specs Confirmation is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 has just been announced with a much needed upgrade, the Intel Atom N450 processor, an option that improves battery life and operates at higher levels than current Intel Atom processors found in Netbooks from various manufacturers.

The Intel n450 is a 1.66GHz processor that’s 60% smaller and 20% more efficient than the current Atom processor, while the rest of the unit comes fairly standard with a 10.1″ display, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, WiFi 802.11b/g and a Bluetooth adapter.

For users who want an upgrade, Dell is also offering a High Def add-on, a built-in HDTV tuner.

Battery life is said to sit around  9.5 hours with Windows 7 running on a 6 cell battery option.

The units will come with a price drop, bringing the cost down to $299 in January 2010, $50 cheaper than current models. Be on the look out for more N450 based units, just last week the Asus Eee PC 1005p and 1005PE models were announced, also with price cuts! [Gizmodo]

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbooks Get Upgraded With N450 Processor, HDTV Ability is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Asus Eee PC 1005P/PE units debuted this week, just in time to remind holiday Netbook buyers that their tech is already becoming obsolete. The Atom N450 units offer some nice specs for bargain shoppers and a decent design Asus users will be familiar with.

Both models feature 10 inch LED backlit displays pushing out 1,024 x 600 pixels of resolution, 1 GB DDR2-RAM and the Windows 7 “Starter” Edition which should work just fine for users looking for a lightweight, inexpensive offering. The units also offer GMA 3150 GPU’s with the PE model sporting a 250GB hard drive.

Asus is also claiming that their 6 cell battery will push out 12.5 hours thanks to the hyper-efficient N450 CPU.

No word yet on pricing or a release date. [Engadget]

ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 Debuts, Gives 12.5 Hours Battery Life is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Asus Eee PC 1201HA is now available in the U.S. via way of Best Buy and comes with a price tag of $330, alongside a 1.33GHz Atom Z520 processor, integrated graphics and some other standard netbook options.

Asus has also announced that the 1201N model, the first Eee PC with NVIDIA Ion graphics will be arriving in December for a price somewhere around $500, while featuring 2GB RAM, a 250GB HDD and even an HDMI output.

They are also working on an AMD 1.6GHz Congo MV40 processor unit with ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics for 1080p high definition output abilities, although no date or pricing has been made available for that unit and we don’t have a model name at this time. [SlashGear]

Asus Eee PC 1201HA Netbook With 12.1-Inch Display Now Available, New Models Coming Soon is a post from: The Inquisitr

The ultra-high end Sony Vaio P netbook line has just been updated in the US with Windows 7, including both Home Premium and Professional options, alongside faster atom processors and a solid state drive offering that surpasses past models.

The new units feature Atom processors up to 2GHz and solid state drives up to 256GB with a nice champagne colored outer casing that gives the netbooks a high end look.

The 1.33GHz Atom system with 2GB RAM and a standard 80GB HDD will run you $850 with Verizon 3G and GPS, while the 64GB SSD unit with a 1.6GHz Atom processor will be $1,000 and the high end 2GHz chipset with 256GB SSD tops the range for $1,900.

The upgraded units are expected to start selling before the end of November.

Sony Updates VAIO P Line With Windows 7, New Atom Processors is a post from: The Inquisitr

The HP Mini 311 is one of the first netbooks to ditch XP and grab onto Windows 7.  HP announced that their critically lauded netbook will get the new OS as soon as it’s commercially available, they’ve also announced several other spec upgrade options.

The Mini 311 will get the ION treatment, a max memory load of 3GB and a decent size 80GB SSD or 320GB standard hard drive upgrade option.

Users can also choose to upgrade (at a cost) to Windows 7 Professional.

The new options have been made available via the HP Mini 311 maintenance guide, which means it could be a while before all the new options show up or it could be available on October 22nd.  We’ll post more once info becomes available.

HP Mini 311 Gets Windows 7, New Hardware is a post from: The Inquisitr

Now before you rush out to see if hell is indeed freezing over let me assure you that this is a rare occasion where I find myself in total agreement with Tim Cook; acting CEO of Apple. So what is the cause of this mark it on a calendar moment you ask?

Well it has to do with some statements that Tim made and was reported on by Anthony Ha over at Venture Beat today. It appears that during today’s call discussing how Apple beat Wall Street’s expectations with their 2Q earning Mr. Cook had a few choice words about Apple bringing a netbook to market (emphasis mine)

“For us, it’s about doing great products,” Cook said during today’s call discussing Apple’s (surprisingly strong) second quarter earnings. “When I look at netbooks, I see cracked keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens. It’s just not a good consumer experience and not something we would put the Mac brand on. It’s a segment we would not choose to play in.”

Of course, Apple has been making similar statements all along, but Cook’s words today were some of the most dismissive I’ve seen. He closed the netbook discussion with two final putdowns. He said Apple already offers devices that compete with netbooks, because if you want a small device for web browsing and email, well, that’s what iPhones and iPod Touches do; and as for the netbook, “I think it’s a stretch to call it a personal computer.”

I am so glad that I am not alone with the opinion that netbooks while cute and all that are just a way for manufactures to use up old inventory. I may not be the biggest fan of smartphones but at least they make sense when you need something small and don’t want to lug around a laptop. Netbooks are nothing more than marketing creating a need where none needed to be filled.

OMG I am agreeing with Apple is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s one thing to cut off their Internet access but the customer still has the working netbook that is worth a few hundred dollars that they can use. Well if the recent announcement by LM Ericisson AB, the Swedish company that makes the majority of the modems that go into laptops and netbooks, it will be as simple as sending a signal to permanently shutdown the computer.

"We call it a `kill pill,’" said Mats Norin, Ericsson’s vice president of mobile broadband modules.

The module will work on AT&T Inc.’s U.S. third-generation network, and on many other 3G networks overseas.

AT&T late last year started subsidizing small laptops known as "netbooks," which normally cost about $400, so that RadioShack Corp. can sell them for $100. The buyer commits to paying $60 per month for two years for AT&T’s wireless broadband access. Such offers have become very common in Europe

Source: Associated Press

The article suggests that the carriers might be extremely reluctant to actually use the feature but come on this is AT&T we are talking about here.

Subsidized netbooks to come with a ‘kill pill’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Olivier Seres has shared a demo of his “Tactile Minitel” (codename iframe), a new touchscreen pad computer under development.

The specs are fairly light at this stage, but it runs Ubuntu with a custom interface, and is roughly the size of the large book.

Here’s the iFrame demo video. My first impression: want.

Want: iFrame Touchscreen Pad Computer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Recently Stu Pann; vice prez in the sales and marketing group at Intel, said at a conference that Intel is taking a second look at the whole ‘netbook’ idea. It appears that they first thought of the netbooks as being for the emerging markets or for younger kids. However the bulk of netbooks sales have been happening in Western Europe and North America by people who just want to grab and go.

On top of this we have AMD which has for the most part intentionally ignored the netbook market. Although they have said that they wouldn’t turn down the business if computer makers wanted to use their upcoming Huron and Consus CPU for netbook designs. From AMD’s point of view the screen size is too small and the disappointing. Bahr Mahony, director of notebook product marketing at AMD, points to the high return rates of netbooks in Europe to back up this opinion.

This same underlying feeling was echoed by Intel’s Pann when Brooke Crothers quoted him in a post

And the most revealing statement? “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.”

Ah, no kidding. when these netbooks first first announced I couldn’t see them as being a real viable alternative for the majority of computer users; and I still don’t

Are netbooks headed the way of the dodo bird? is a post from: The Inquisitr