Netbooks are not Notebooks

Earlier this year we added the HP Mini 2140 to our SOE line up, this model has been selected as it fits very well into our fleet. So well in fact that it can use our base laptop model with only minimal post image modification. (Our SOE laptop image is still XP-SP3 rather than Vista, and we’ll look at jumping to Win7 next year).

{The HP Mini 2140 has now been replaced by a new model, the HP Mini 5101.}

Image: The HP Mini 2140 Netbook compared for size against the HP 6710b Laptop

Do you need a Netbook?
The vast majority of our user base do not want or need a Netbook, the vast majority want a business Laptop (eg. HP 6710b, HP6930p), a smaller number need a light weight Laptop (eg. HP 2510p, HP 2350p) and very few need a Netbook (HP 2140, HP 5101).

The Netbook’s niche is not intended to be a primary PC/desktop replacement; they’re designed to be used on the move to access Web2.0 applications – a glorified PDA so to speak. But this is not how they are being taken up in the market;

Even though nearly 60% of all netbook owners say they purchased their netbook because of its portability, almost 60% say they use it solely in the home. [1]

Does this mean that price rather than purpose is being used as the primary motivation for the purchase of the Netbook? Is the hype of the Netbook format selling the product into the wrong market? Either way it is creating problems with the consumers;

The survey yielded some surprising results: Sixty percent of consumers thought that netbooks would function exactly like regular laptops. As a result, only 58% of consumers who purchased a netbook instead of a laptop were satisfied with their purchase (as a point of reference, about 70% of regular laptop buyers were satisfied with their purchases). [3]

If you are after a primary PC/desktop replacement the Netbook is not for you.

LINKS:
[1] Netbooks II: A Closer Look Report [NPD]
[2] NPD Finds Consumer Confusion about Netbooks Continues (2009-JUN-22) [NPD]
[3] NPD: Consumers Are Dissatisfied with Netbooks (2009-JUN-22) [BusinessWeek]