NetbookTech

It’s been interesting to see the public and media reaction to Andy Tung’s statements earlier in the week about how return rates were four times higher for MSI Wind netbooks running Linux vs netbooks running Windows. Yes - definitely fuel for good debates and of course, good flame wars. Here are some of my own thoughts and impressions about all of this. If you agree or disagree - awesome - I’d love to hear your thoughts!

So first off - remember NOT to generalize this. These are statistics coming from a single vendor for a single flavor of Linux with a limited distribution channel. Don’t start applying this statistic across the board to all vendors. We have absolutely no idea how Linux is selling for other vendors so please don’t start generalizing this as being a problem with Linux netbooks across the board.

Secondly, these are statistics.. and the problem with statistics is - it’s easy to come up with conclusions without taking a deeper look at the data. Case in point - sure the return rates are higher for Linux vs. Windows… but has MSI considered where these netbooks are being purchased from? Are the majority of the sales coming from places like Amazon.com? Or are they coming from places like Newegg.com or mwave.com? I’m willing to bet that the average consumer shopping at Newegg is perhaps a bit more technically savvy than the average consumer at Amazon.com.

Thirdly.. how is the netbook being marketed? Do consumers realize they are getting a netbook system with Linux? If so, is it perhaps the flavor of Linux being distributed with the netbook that’s the problem? What exactly are the problems people are witnessing? Are there not enough bundled applications for the netbook to make it useful out of the box? Are return rates different for different aged groups? Do older consumers return the netbook more often than younger consumers? 

The question of how the netbook is being sold is certainly an interesting one. Consider the way Dell sells the Inspiron Mini 9. With the direct sales approach, consumers get the chance to pick what components go into the Mini netbook. When you’re choosing the best model for your needs, it’s very apparent that you’re either choosing between Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP Home.

Now look at how MSI Wind is sold on Amazon.com. The fact that the system runs Windows XP vs Linux is buried in the title of the system. This is a sample title for one such MSI Wind netbook “MSI Wind 10″ Mini Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Linux Novell SUSE, 3 Cell Battery) White”. For the casual consumer, it’s easy to overlook the Linux mention in the product. They see a system that’s pretty darn cheap - that’s what they’re seeing! They then receive the netbook in the mail, start it up and find an OS they’re not familiar with. Guess what- RETURN!

So.. is this a failure of Linux? No of course not. In many ways, it’s a failure of marketing and education. 1) Consumers are often not realizing they are purchasing a Linux based netbook and if they are, 2) they don’t realize that Linux is indeed a viable alternative to Windows. 

The educational piece is perhaps the most important part of it all. Consumers need to know that they can probably get almost all of their work done on Linux as they could on Windows. The same marketing campaign that Apple does with the Mac and OS X is in fact what Linux needs for the average consumer. This is why Apple succeeds in selling more and more Apple systems.. consumer education through savvy commercials and advertising.

Thus I repeat - this is NOT a failure of the Linux OS as much as it is about marketing and education. However the Linux community shouldn’t be completely left off the hook here.  If they (and “they” here means developers, hardware manufacturers, anyone out there who wants Linux to succeed) want the consumer world to accept Linux as an alternative to Windows, they need to make it far more friendly to the average consumer. Take a look at Apple and see what they’ve done with OS X. A pretty sweet and powerful OS yet simple enough to use for the average user. Linux is getting there with flavors like Ubuntu but it’s NOT there yet.  Thus the Linux community needs to see this as an opportunity to reach out to average consumers and say - “Hey everything you do on Windows, you can do on Linux, except it’s for free. It’s just as easy to do this on Linux”. Perhaps it’s mostly education than additional software development.. but there’s clearly something that needs to be done.

With that said, I think it’s great that manufacturers are bundling Linux with netbook systems. I don’t think you’ll see this option go away - especially as long as Microsoft continues charging for Windows XP Home or Windows Vista. For the ultimate power users out there, the best alternative would be a hardware purchase only - no software installed on the netbook. Take this a step further by truly passing the cost onto the consumer. Bundle both Windows and Linux install DVDs and then have the consumer pay Microsoft directly if they want to unlock Windows on their netbook. THEN perhaps consumers will begin to see the “costs” of running Windows vs. Linux.. and for those that still want Windows.. well then they want it (the same goes for Linux).

Just my 2 cents of course…

Here’s a list of other articles about this story…

• “What’s wrong with Linux netbooks?” - InternetNews.com
• “Bad marketing undermines Linux netbooks” - Tectonic
• “Have consumers spoken and said: “Linux sux”? - iTWire
• “Linux Netbook Returns: Not Surprising but likely Avoidable” - OStatic
• “Linux ready to replace Windows? Not yet..” - ZDNet
• “Linux netbook returns higher?” - eWeek
• “Consumers might not be ready for Linux netbooks, but we are” - ZDNet

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook finally arrived yesterday via UPS Ground. The somewhat worrisome aspect - the packaging for the system was rather beat up from the shipping (you’ll see pictures of that below). In fact, I was very disappointed that Lenovo shipped the S10 simply in the original box that the netbook came in. There was no additional packaging around it. Had I known this, I would have opted for a different form of shipping instead of UPS Ground.

Here are pictures of the box:

Luckily, the S10 suffered no damage whatsoever.

Read the rest of this entry »

Why hello there.. is that a “dot” that I see you carrying? Yes.. above is the newly announced Packard Bell “dot” netbook - an 8.9 inch system that Packard Bell claims is the first netbook “specifically designed for consumers.” (yes I’m laughing at this too) The reasons why it thinks this way?

• It’s the first netbook that fits easily in a handbag (Umm.. my Aspire One fits into a handbag)
• It’s the first netbook that can be entrusted with a child on a school trip.. (umm.. they could take the Eee PC or Aspire One… or Dell Inspiron Mini 9.. etc etc)
• It fits nicely between a notebook and a PDA.. (um.. that would be the definition of a netbook.. not the dot please)
• It’s more comfortable than a smartphone (yeah I’d say all netbooks are more comfortable than a smartphone)..

So as you can see.. the dot was indeed specifically designed for consumers! Ha.. ok ok.. enough ridicule.. here are the specs to the Packard Bell dot.

• 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 resolution display
• Windows XP OS
• Intel Atom processor
• 1GB RAM
• Supports 6 cell battery
• 160GB HDD
• 3 USB ports
• 5 in 1 card reader
• Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• Optional 3G module
• Built-in webcam

The Packard Bell dot will be available in Europe starting in November for a price of €399 ($584 U.S. Dollars).

[Check it out via SlashGear]

Samsung has thrown it’s hat into the netbook ring with the announcement of the new NC10 system. The device will be available in three colors (white, piano black, and metallic blue) and will come with a 10.2 inch display. Other features of the Samsung NC10 include the following:

• Intel Atom processor
• WSVGA (1024 x 600) display with SuperBright Non-Gloss LED
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• Choice of 80 GB Of 160GB HDD
• 3 in 1 memory card reader
• VGA port
• Microphone in/Headphone out
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 6 cell battery for up to 8 hours of battery life
• Atheros 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Fast Ethernet
• Optional Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Ultra durable Protect-o-Edge casing

The NC10 is due to hit the UK market in October with a suggested price of £329 ($610 US dollars)

[Check it out]

Intel officially began shipping their new dual core Intel Atom processor last week known as the Intel Atom Processor 330. The new processor model is designed specifically for nettop systems and feature:

• 1.6GHz processing core
• 1MB L2 cache
• 8W TDP
• Support for DDR2 667MHz memory

According to the Intel PR Chip Shots blog, the new processor is available as part of new Intel Desktop Board called the D945GCLF2. The specs for the D945GCLF2 include:

• Mini-ITX form factor
• Integrated 45nm Intel Atom Processor 330
• Intel 945GC Express Chipset
• Realtek ALC662 audio codec
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Eight USB 2.0 ports
• Two SATA ports
• One parallel ATA IDE interface
• One serial and parallel port
• Once PCI bus connector

Even though these new dual core Atom processors are designed for nettop systems, it’s not far fetched to imagine someone deciding to use these processors for netbook systems. Let’s hope so!

[Check it out via DailyTech]

Lenovo’s pre-order page for the IdeaPad S10 netbook is now back up on the Lenovo website. The page was briefly up earlier in the month and then Lenovo took it down for some reason. Unfortunately, the company is only making the white colored version available for pre-order at this time. For $439 you’ll get model 42312CU with the following specs:

• Intel Atom processor N270 running at 1.6GHz
• Windows XP Home Edition
• 10.2 inch WSVGA (1024 x 600) AntiGlare TFT LCD with integrated camera
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 512MB RAM
• 80GB 5400 RPM HDD
• Broadcom 11b/g Wi-Fi
• 3 cell Lithium-Ion battery
• One year parts and labor (one year for system battery)

According to the website, a blue colored version of the S10 will be available in October and the rest will be coming out in December.

[Check it out]

Hello and welcome to NetbookTech - a new online blog and forum dedicated to following the wonderful world of netbook computers. Our goal with NetbookTech is as follows:

• Provide the latest news and product announcements regarding netbooks
• Provide a convenient means for netbook users to meet and interact with one another
• Provide a place where tips and tricks can be shared with one another
• Be a central hub for literally everything related to netbook technology

Now with that said, it’s probably a good idea to discuss what the heck a netbook is (for those of you new to the lingo).

The term “netbook” was originally conceived of by a company called Psion back in 1999 (thanks to Wikipedia for this info). The term was originally used to define a small form factor laptop-like design which resulted in the Psion netbook. Years later.. (actually earlier this year), Intel decided to re-introduce the term to define a new class of sub-notebooks or ultra-portable notebooks with common properties such as:

• Small form factor
• Low cost
• Light weight
• Runs a standard desktop OS such as Windows or Linux

According to the Technology@Intel blog, netbooks “are small laptops that are designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet.”

In many ways, the recent success of netbooks owes itself to projects such as the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project and the Intel Classmate PC project. These projects showed the rest of the world that small inexpensive laptops could indeed be made to run operating systems such as Windows XP or Linux with decent enough performance.

Yet if it were simply these products, then the netbook market would probably never have taken off. What really sparked the market was the introduction of the ASUS Eee PC. The original Eee PC had a 7 inch display, a small solid state drive, and a low price point. More importantly, the system was capable of running a Linux variant which meant computer enthusiasts from all over jumped on the system. The Eee PC became an overnight sensation and PC companies all over realized that ASUS was onto something.

Now, as we enter into the fall of 2008, we’re seeing more and more vendors enter the netbook market - proving that inexpensive lightweight notebooks with just enough power could indeed be manufactured and made successful.

While netbooks were originally conceived of for use by children, the truth is, netbooks are an attractive option for a wide range of consumers. Who wouldn’t want a small lightweight Internet connected notebook capable of running web browsers, email applications, and typical Office productivity applications? Thus, netbooks have become popular with mobile professionals, students, folks looking for a secondary computer, children, parents, you name it. They’re small and lightweight which means they’re easy to bring with you wherever you are. If all you do on a notebook is read and write email, then there’s really no reason you shouldn’t be carrying a netbook instead!

As you can see, netbooks utterly rock.

So with that said, welcome to NetbookTech and we truly hope you’ll enjoy the site. Oh yes.. please excuse the look and feel of the site - I’m working on a new site design but I found no reason to not begin posting articles! Enjoy!!!!