The $150 batteries-not-included Netbook is very close -- but with batteries ...
Translated from netbooknews.de (google translation)
I announced it several times, now it is certainty... Acer is launching a price war... The A110L is now here in Taipei for the converted 150 euros ... Acer zerschiesst the competition with this ... LowEnd in the margin area (Yup, even when there is already Netbook different categories) and intends to market its own product soak... The 2nd Generation ( Aspire One D150 ) .. is also expected within a very short time become one of the cheapest Netbook belong...
Google's translation services are imperfectly impressive, but you get the idea. I assume at this price we're talking Linux.
This is happening much faster than I'd anticipated, driven by the desperate desire to survive economic disruption.
The screaming collapse of netbook prices is my number one explanation for Apple's product silence. I assume they're rethinking their OS X product strategy. They may have thought they had more time ...
2 comments:
I believe Apple's silence is deliberate. It's hard to talk and listen at the same time and there's much to learn by listening to the market right now.
They're no doubt happy to have Asus, Acer, Dell and MSI polish the production chain, while in the meantime the nasty issue of cell-based internet access cost gets 'worked out'. It's not yet a razor and blade (or cell phone and minutes) market, but it could be. But unlike razors, netbooks need energy, and as we've learned with cell phones there are real costs to making one for everyone on the planet.
So there's no need to jump in now while others are willing to kill themselves pulling an 'Osborne' or 'Commodore' for market share now. Apple will be ready for the market that emerges once the costs are right.
I see this as a repeat of the Rio Diamond phenomenon. It was early to market with much good press and many quick followers, all crushed by Apple's attention to design coupled with execution.
Great comment Richard. I especially liked the 'Commodore' and 'Rio Diamond' examples. Only geeks of a certain age would remember those -- even the Rio Diamond is largely forgotten.
I think Apple could steal a lot of netbook share at the iTouch pricepoint. The problem is the hit on their Macbook sales.
Of course if they were ever to fix MobileMe and tie that to a $300 Netbook with an optional AT&T tethering contract ...
Well, then there's revenue.
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