And a netbook in a pear tree

26-11-2008

by Ralph Averbuch

Just recently we were talking about the emergence, in an otherwise gloomy looking technology sector, of the huge popularity for a new sub-set of the notebook market. Netbooks are smaller cut-down laptops with far fewer bells and whistles yet capable, with an internet connection, of carrying out most undemanding tasks. The problem is, where a little while ago established brands were deriding the whole notion of launching such devices, now some big name brands are rushing to play catch-up and all in time for Xmas. Lenovo, a little late to a rapidly over-crowding party, has just announced two new units, the S9e and S10e Ideapads, which go on sale in Ireland at the end of November and early December. The specs on these units are a bit more impressive than some other brands, but in essence these Ideapads are me-too machines. What will be interesting to see is which of these netbooks survive to become established parts of their parent brand’s PC portfolios and which disappear without a trace six months from now. We’re guessing the that Eee PC will still be in production but whether Lenovo will still be churning out Ideapads, well that’s anyone’s guess.