Mini laptops rose in popularity almost overnight. But, with ultra-thin models now hitting the market, Agam Shah considers whether their demise will be just as quick
They're lightweight, affordable and cool, but is the dominance of netbooks about to be threatened by an emerging group of ultra-thin laptops? Ultra-thin laptops are a new category of lightweight PCs that are just as portable as netbooks and provide adequate performance to run most applications, including HD multimedia and casual gaming. The first such model, HP's dv2 ( pictured), is a powerful laptop that can be configured with a discrete graphics card and a dual-layer DVD writer. Netbooks, on the other hand, are designed for web surfing and running basic apps, such as word-processing software. They are relatively slow and are characterised by small keyboards and screens between 8 inches and 12 inches. Dell introduced its first ultra-thin Inspiron 11z in August at ukp399, breaking into the price range of many netbooks. In a blog posting, Dell representative Anne Camden said the 11.6 inches-screen laptop provides "netbook-like portability with laptop-like capability". The 11z is powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Celeron 723 - a more powerful processor than the Intel Atom chips found in the systems we tested in this month's netbook group test. At just 1.4 kilogrammes it's a similar weight to a netbook, but the 11z adds the ability to play HD video. Aggressive pricing Roger Kay, president of research firm Endpoint Technologies, said Intel has been "anxious" to promote ultra-thin laptops, but until now they have cost too much for it to do so. Now Dell's pricing for the Inspiron 11z could make it an alternative to netbooks for price-conscious buyers, he said. "It's extremely aggressively priced, but it doesn't have the performance limitations of a netbook," Kay said. For example, ultra-thin laptops can run Windows 7 Home Premium - the average netbook can't. Another firm that could benefit from the emergence of ultra-thin laptops is Microsoft, which is looking to eke out more profitability from the low-end laptop space. High netbook sales have affected Microsoft's earnings. The company's revenue took a hit because of high netbook shipments and a worldwide decline in computer sales during the fiscal fourth quarter of 2009. "Microsoft is trying to land a version of Windows 7 that will be profitable for itself and the low-end market," Kay said. David Daoud, research manager at IDC, said that while Microsoft plans to offer a version of Windows 7 called Starter that could go into netbooks, the software giant may want to push higher-end versions such as Windows 7 Home Premium that could run on ultra-thin laptops. That could help the company generate more licensing revenue. "Ultra-thin laptops are an attempt to go back to a normal mode and high price points, so there are margins for everyone," Daoud said. He added that the economy is a factor. The troubled state of the economy means that a ukp50 difference is significant to buyers, he claimed. And, since some buyers don't care about performance or size, they may continue to buy cheaper netbooks. "It just highlights the confusion in the market. Some consumers really don't care. For them, ultra-thin, Atom - perhaps they don't care too much," Daoud said. A size to fit Netbooks have small screens and can easily be moved around the home, a convenience that ultra-thin laptops may not offer. However, ultra-thin models have larger screens and could function as primary PCs. Mainstream, full-size laptops, meanwhile, are feeling the pressure, Kay said - customers are leaning toward netbooks and ultra-thin portables in search of mobility. Size and convenience are Dell's way of differentiating between ultra-thins and its existing line of netbooks, wrote Anne Camden. "Dell has always positioned netbooks, aka minis, as companion devices - miniature laptops that are easy to slip into a bag and use while on the go," she said. But the categories are bound to clash, and netbooks have a long way to go, particularly in performance. Ultra-thin models are far ahead in the performance curve and netbooks may need either a redesign or quick advancements in the silicon they use, such as processors. Netbooks don't have that much time to catch up, Kay said. To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
