Canalys report adds to growing death knell for the netbook

Various market reports and IT industry analysts' assertions would like us to believe that the netbook is on its way to history's dustbin. The latest in this growing list of virtual obituaries for the netbook is a recent report from market research firm Canalys, which predicts that shipments of tablet computers will grow to 52 million in 2011. Apple will grab more than 75 percent of the market, the company says.



The iPad 2 from Apple leads the tablet computer's pillage of the netbook country, market analysts say.

 Also-ran tablet brands will have to kill each other for the remaining 12 million.

The market research firm's PR department created some sticky sound bites for its latest market study. And most of the world's IT media people and bloggers picked up those designed-for-TV one-liners, such as "For every two tablet computers sold, a netbook (or laptop) won't be shipped," or something to that effect.


A deeper look at data presented by these analysts, however, shows the netbook is going strong.

 A closer look at Canalys' figures, however, would reveal some feet of clay for most IT industry analysts' doomsday forecasts for the PC sector — in particular, the notebook and its smaller cousin, the netbook.

The market research firm's study admits that demand for notebook computers will grow at least 8 percent. Netbooks, despite its projected demise, would still sell some 34 million units.

Tens of millions units sold and analysts say the netbook is gone and dead? I wonder what these people are ingesting. Applegesic? Or MacOpium? Or iViagra?

ASUS-Lamborghini Eee PC VX6: Supercar masquerading as a netbook

Mobile phones with built-in cameras are no longer a novelty; and so are mobile phones with Internet, radio receiver, television, and refrigerators (OK, the last one would still make our jaws drop, halfway).

IT vendors are finding ways to up the ante further. Some have forged partnerships with famous brands from other industries, such as the automobile and fashion segments. It has become commonplace too to see computers sporting brands of supercars; and mobile phones bandying about fashionable brands.

For consumers willing and able to pay extra dollars (or pesos, or stones), there is no shortage of Ferrari phones and laptops, or Prada mobile phones.


The Lamborghini Eee PC VX6 netbook from Asus



Asus, the Taiwanese IT vendor that virtually brought us the netbook, recently introduced the Asus-Lamborghini Eee PC VX6 netbook. Not your usual, humble netbook, the VX6 comes with features and capabilities that make it worthy of carrying that Lamborghini badge. Not to mention that it has a supercar-inspired design itself.

Asus Eee PC 1015PE: Still sexy, still hot netbooks are

Asus,  the generally acknowledged creator of the superportable-computer category, recently introduced the Eee PC 1015PE, a midrange 10.1-inch netbook. Part of the Seashell product line, the thin and light 1015PE combines aesthetics with mobility, making it one of the slightly better looking portable computers in the market today.

The Eee PC 1015PE in its usual black incarnation.

Compared with some of its siblings, the 1015PE is thicker and a couple or so rungs lower in the aesthetics ladder, putting it near the level occupied by most other netbooks in the market.

Coming with a year of free Asus WebStorage (up to 500GB) online data storage service, the Asus netbook offers some respite from storage-related headaches -- for users who would overshoot the unit's built-in 250GB hard drive.

Acer Aspire One D260: One more reason for sticking with netbooks

The wife and I were looking for a portable and reasonably powerful computing platform that she could bring with her back to the U.S. Of course, wiser counsel would have told us she could save some money by buying her next notebook there. But, she said, she wanted to be able to communicate with us, her family in Manila, right from the very moment she would enter the airport premises.

My wife's first choice, the purple D260. Tough luck, the store was out of stock.

She also wanted the following: it should be portable and light enough to bring wherever her job as a social worker would take her, but powerful enough to perform the usual computing tasks she does with her desktop PC.