The Rise Of The Netbook

Piers Fawkes writes on electronics & gadgets for Good Ideas Salon. Here is his piece on Netbooks:

An article by John Gapper in the Financial Times argues that US tech companies ignored the netbook as they didn’t want to cannibalize the market for larger laptops and PCs. As he charts the rise of the hardware, Gapper says they ignored signals of netbook use in Japan and the early indication given by the popularity of the idea behind the One Laptop Per Child project; and that they even still have the arrogance to think that they can steer the market.

[The development of the netbook] took a long time because some companies preferred netbooks not to succeed. The three-way alliance among Microsoft, Intel and Dell instead preferred laptops to become more powerful and run on fancier versions of Windows….The big US companies would only produce tiny tablets and miniature keyboard devices because they did not want to undermine laptop sales. Netbook-sized devices thrived in Japan but were expensive.

It took Asustek to break the oligopoly’s grip by making what I – and many others, it turns out – wanted. As soon as it did, all the other computer makers, from Acer to Dell and HP, surrendered.

This coincided with Microsoft’s moment of hubris with the bloated and troubled Windows Vista, which required lots of memory and a powerful chip. To beat off Linux, Microsoft had to let netbooks run Windows XP instead.

Microsoft and Intel are still trying to corral netbooks by defining them as a third type of device in addition to desktops and laptops. Intel popularised the term netbook and Microsoft sets strict memory and screen limits for licences.

Consumers are not listening. An IDC study in May found that netbook owners, far from regarding them as devices for connecting to the internet and little else, do not differentiate. “People are using them almost identically to traditional laptops,” says Mr O’Donnell… Consumers must be given a choice, however, before they can express their preference. For providing it, the Asus Eee wins my prize.

http://www.psfk.com/2009/07/the-rise-of-the-netbook.html

CMS Report: Mobilities Project

Mobile broadband laptop and netbook users to consume 1.3 exabytes of video per month worldwide by 2017!

By Real_Wire

Newly released forecasts by technology and media specialist Coda Research Consultancy show that portable laptop and netbook users will access 1.3 exabytes of video content per month by 2017 – a sixty fold increase over 2009.

This figure will account for nearly three quarters of all global traffic via mobile broadband portables. The top region for video consumption will be Asia Pacific, which will account for just over half (53%) of all video traffic globally. To contrast, Europe will account for 26% of all global video traffic, and North America 14%.

The prominence of Asia Pacific represents its overall broadband traffic consumption via portables. Just under half (46%) of all global traffic via portables will be consumed in Asia Pacific, due in part to mobile broadband being the sole vehicle for many people to access broadband in developing countries. To compare, Europe will account for 26% of all global traffic, North America for 15%, Middle East and Africa for 5%, and Central and South America for 8%.

Among other forecasts, the report shows that two thirds of global traffic via portables will be via Long Term Evolution (LTE) come 2017. Asia Pacific will consume just under half (45%) of global LTE traffic via portables. However, Europe and North America will be ahead in terms of LTE take up. 80% of traffic via portables in Europe will be via LTE, and three quarters of traffic in North America will be via this specification.

Commenting upon the research, Steve Smith, founder of Coda Research Consultancy stated: “Clearly, LTE is going to win out over other specifications. However, service providers, content owners and rights’ holders should be greatly concerned about forecasts for video content consumed illegally in Asia Pacific. This contrasts with most developed countries, where legal video will tend to dominate mobile broadband traffic. Overall, the sheer amount of traffic people will consume worldwide will put pressure on operator revenues and network capacity, necessitating radical efficiency drives.”

“In the short term, we also foresee increased frustration with bandwidth and speed. In parts of western Europe for instance, as many as three quarters of users are dissatisfied with the speeds they receive. Government inaction is partly to blame. By falling behind in passing adequate legislation, many governments have hindered operators from keeping up with the behaviour and expectations of the majority of consumers. LTE will help meet consumers’ demands once it begins to impact the market, but this will not be until 2013.”

Laptops and Netbooks: Mobile Broadband Traffic Across Regions 2009-2017 is essential reading for device and component vendors, mobile network operators, consultants, financial analysts, application, content and service providers, and anyone else with an interest in the future of mobile broadband. It presents 35 pages of forecast tables, charts and commentary up to and including 2017, split by traffic type and region: (Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa). It contains separate traffic forecasts for LTE (Long Term Evolution).

This report is the second output from Coda Research Consultancy’s 2009 ‘Mobilities’ project.

To find out more about this report and its costs, and to read further highlights, visit www.codarc.co.uk, or email steve.smith@codarc.co.uk.