Intel on Netbooks: "it's fine for an hour. It's not something you're going to use day in and day out."
A few weeks back, AMD slammed the netbook, with CEO Dirk Meyer saying "We're ignoring the Netbook phenomenon--just thinking about PC form factors above that form factor." Well, Intel has joined them in decrying netbooks as a fad. Sales and Marketing VP, Stu Pann, said:
"We view the Netbook as mostly incremental to our total available market. If you've ever used a Netbook and used a 10-inch screen size--it's fine for an hour. It's not something you're going to use day in and day out."
He's right, but missing the broader picture. There's a lot of people out there who don't use a laptop day in and day out. They have a Desktop PC at work, a Desktop PC at home, and they want something to fill in the gaps in between - when travelling, for example. Netbooks are small, light, and cheap - a perfect fit for this niche.
Netbooks probably don't deserve the level of rabid attention they currently get, but they're not that bad. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater...
Intel's comments (via Cnet)
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