ITWire - Windows crushing Linux in netbook market: Acer
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:17 am
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/22362/53/
Well, if as he said, that Windows on the netbook seems to have peaked and is holding steady at 90%, then I say that a 10% global GNU/Linux netbook market share aint too shabby."Our Windows XP netbooks are outselling Linux machines by more than 9 to 1," Henry Lee senior product manager - retail channel manager, Acer Computer Australia, told iTWire.
"That's pretty much the case both in Australia and worldwide.
"The Linux netbooks sell particularly to hardcore Linux users who want to customise their system.
"What we have seen when we launched the Aspire One around mid-year we found that the Windows numbers increased over time. Six months later, the percentage of Windows sales appears to have peaked and stabilised at a very high level."
Hey, that's great news for a netbook manufacturer that netbooks are the fastest growing product category, right? Maybe not, look what he twists himself into a pretzel to say next...According to Lee, Acer's netbook sales are growing 20-30% quarter on quarter.
"By Q3 2009, we're looking at selling more than 4 million netbooks worldwide for the quarter," said Lee.
The industry is valiantly trying to deny what is obvious to all. People are buying these instead of traditional notebooks. Despite what he says, netbooks do not turn into a pumpkin and become useless once they are no longer connected to the internet. Unfreaking believable.Lee also dismissed claims by some industry commentators that netbook sales are cannibalising the market for higher end computers, thus eating into the margins of PC vendors, as well as Intel and Microsoft.
"The Aspire One is not a full function notebook but for its design and capability is absolutely suited to the Internet," said Lee.
"People are buying it to surf the net, check their email and view photos online.
"Overall what we're seeing with our numbers is that netbook sales haven't cannibalised the full-sized notebook sales. Because of the functionality of the netbook you do have limited performance in what it can do whereas the entry 15 inch type notebook allows for better graphics, optical drive suitable to watch videos and so on.
"The netbook has become a new category and a new market and it's correct to say that people are buying a netbook in addition to a notebook."