Netbook Statistics + Future
It’s October, time for another wild guess at where netbooks are headed! This time, I’ll be using statistics from Intel’s Internal Research circa May – June 2009, made available during the Intel Developer Forum 2009 (took place mid September).
*
Price of netbooks is going down
Very well known fact, prices have been dropping and you’re getting more for your buck in most cases (Asus 1005-ha for instance). I like this graph because it compares price fluctuations (read drop) by geography. Things that stand out:
- highest netbooks prices were seen in China during late summer 2008 (isn’t that where they’re made anyways :-P )
- Japan saw a jump in prices right about when the economy tanked (prices may have gone up with the release of premium netbooks such a the Sony Vaio P)
- netbooks are cheaper now in USA than they are in APAC & China (developing countries)
*
Netbook-mania hit Western Europe big time in July 09
This would be easy to explain if the time period were September 09 since a lot of netbooks are being launched in Western Europe first, especially the ones with the goodies, and since everyone everywhere else is (probably) awaiting Windows 7 bearing netbooks. Then again, July marks the back to school season. This could reflect that less US students bought new laptops, or that less US students bought netbooks, or that the netbook craze finally hit Western Europe in July 09… anything really.
It would help to see the percentage by region over time to like the above graph.
*
Netbooks won’t take over the world in 2012
I don’t see 19% as being a HUGE slice of the pie. it’s a decent slice of the pie, I’ll give you that. It isn’t even a real pie though, it’s a projected pie. 19%… nearly 1 in 5 devices will be a netbook… That’s a big deal, but far from equivalent to everyone owning an iPod.
I wonder if this projected number acknowledges CULVs.
*
Size matters, but not too much
Another easily visible trend - people prefer 10″ netbooks over 8.9″ ones. I’m surprised the forecast for 2012 doesn’t include a visible share of 12″ devices. The graph is based on a Q109 report, well before the onset of 12″ machines. While that explains why they aren’t on the graph, it says either (a) we can’t even predict trends for the next 9 months let alone 36 months or (b) 12″ netbooks were taken into consideration and won’t be successful (this is corroborated by a Digitimes post saying LCD panel makers expect a drop in 11.6″ netbook demands).
*
Hmm, the first two factual graphs seem far more relevant than the last two projections. Expect another analysis on netbook stats after figures become available on Windows 7 sales. That post will surely make a great read – it’ll shed light on whether Windows 7 sales actually meet the hype.
[Graphs courtesy of eeepcnews.]
Related posts:
- Future of Netbooks
- Future of gaming in netbooks
- For Microsoft size does matter: Future of the 12″ netbooks
- Asus Eee Keyboard : Is this the future of netbooks?
- Back to School Netbook Deals
Filed under: Netbook Analysis