ABI Research this week said that global shipments of netbook computers would total about 60 million this year and will be nearly double that number in 2013. There’s reason to think that even that optimistic assessment is conservative. Here’s a few reasons why:
- 1. Emerging markets, most notably India and China, with a combined wireless user base of well over one billion, will help drive netbook growth as 3G wireless technology sees more uptake.
- 2. Google’s Chrome OS is due out by year’s end. As the site Chromeossite.com points out, the vast majority of Chrome OS devices will be netbooks, and given Google’s clout, resources, expanding universe of cloud applications and ability to integrate them all in a way that consumers like, not to mention its ever-closer relationship with OEMs, it’s likely that, as the website notes, “netbook sales that had begun to hit their peak will begin to resurge.”
- 3. Third party companies are continuing to improve the netbook experience. Recent case in point: this Netbook Optimization Kit is a set of 10 add-ons designed to improve the experience of using the Firefox browser on a netbook.
- 4. Where the iPad was not designed to accommodate peripherals, netbooks generally have several USB ports for connecting cameras, iPhones and modems, plus a VGA connector to use an external display. I would guess that makes netbooks more practical for lots of users.
Bottom line: iPads are cool, netbooks are value-oriented, practical and utilitarian, PCs are essential, smartphones do it all and fit in your pocket. We live in a multi-device world, and eventually most people will have more than one gadget to suit all their needs.
Netbooks aren’t for everybody but they will be a large and important part of the wireless computing landscape.
Lisa
