NetbookTech

ABI Research is out with some interesting predictions for the new smartbook category. According to Jeff Orr, senior analyst with the group, an estimated 163 million smartbook units will ship worldwide in 2015 – a significant uptick for a category that just recently launched.

So what’s ABI Research’s notion of a smartbook? Here are their exact words:

“As ABI Research defines it, a smartbook is a low-powered device running a mobile operating system that is always connected, either via Wi-Fi or (more often) using cellular or mobile broadband. Smartbooks can take many different shapes. They are a subset of MIDs (mobile Internet devices) and netbooks, and address the same potential users, usage, pricing, and market needs. The difference is that they don’t use x86 processors.”

Products fitting the bill include processors from Qualcomm, Freescale, TI, and NVIDIA. Oh yes, ABI Research also includes the recently announced Apple iPad as a smartbook thanks to the custom-built Apple processor presumably based around an ARM core processor.

And the keys to the ultimate success of smartbooks? Price naturally. The research firm believes entry-level smartbooks need to be priced $200 dollars or less.

So what do you say folks? Would you consider getting a smartbook if it was less than $200 dollars? In addition, would you be ok with a system that didn’t run Windows but some Linux-based derivative? Curious to hear what all of you think here.

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[Reprinted from Krunker.com]

A new study by ABI Research predicts up to 4 million tablets will ship this year growing to 57 million annually by the year 2015.

According to senior analyst Jeff Orr,”Apple’s iPad is not the first media tablet..But it does help define this new device category. The main focus of media tablets is entertainment.”

Furthermore, Orr expects tablets to remain as a “premium or luxury product for wealthy industrialized markets for at least several years” with units not expected to replace laptops, netbooks, or even mobile phones.

Of course things could very well change in a short order especially if additional third party vendors jump into the ring with cheaper, capable devices. We know Windows 7-based tablets will continue to grow but you can be sure Google Chome-based tablets will enter the fray within the next year or two.

On the flipside, Orr believes third party manufacturers will have a hard time generating awareness of their products among consumers/buyers.

“New entrants to this market are at a disadvantage since they lack the retail relationships and network operator agreements already built by the more mature vendors. Surprisingly, Apple may have done them a favor by raising the public profile of the whole media tablet category.”

It’s certainly not surprising when you consider what Apple did for the smartphone industry. Until the advent of the Apple iPhone, smartphones were relegated to the tech-savvy and business-oriented audiences. Now, it seems like everyone has an iPhone or at least some sort of touch-based smartphone.

In our heads, the real question isn’t how many units will ship. The real question is – does anyone actually need a tablet? Forget the price, or units shipped, or availability but focus in on purpose. Buying an iPhone makes sense since nearly everyone needs or wants a mobile phone. Buying an iPod makes sense since most of us enjoy the concept of portable music. A tablet? The case for one still stands on shaky ground – at least until a real killer application or purpose is made available.

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ABI Research analysts believe conditions are ripe for a “perform storm” in the netbook market which could result in an explosion of worldwide netbook shipments that could reach nearly 35 million units this year – upwards to 139 million in 2013. 

According to this press release from ABI Research, several “social and technological factors” are coming together to get the pot stirring.

First off, we’re getting smarter about the capabilities of our mobile devices. The majority of us have come to realize that PDAs, smartphones, and Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) are not the be-all, end-all of all mobile devices.  Consumers want more.  This has resulted in a market opportunity for netbooks – systems that are portable, inexpensive, and capable of delivering full PC functionality.

Secondly, technological advances have finally reached a point where low cost, power efficient processors are good enough for the masses. Yes, “good enough” is finally “good enough” when coupled with an OS like Linux or Windows XP.

And of course, let’s not forget about the social economic climate. People are losing jobs left and right. Budgets are tightening up. People want the best bang for the buck. This is where netbooks really can make a difference. The ability to deliver full PC functionality at a low price point makes netbooks the ideal candidate when consumers are either looking for 1) a decent notebook system or 2) something more capable than a smartphone, PDA, or MID. Who wants to spend $600 to $1000 dollars on a notebook to read/write email when they can spend half that much and do perform exactly the same functionality.

Here’s hoping that ABI Research is right about the netbook market. The PC market needs a boost in the current economic climate – even if it’s in the low cost realm of netbooks.

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