Intel: Netbooks On The Rise

While it’s not too surprising to see Intel claim that the netbook market is on the rise, there is no question that the market has still ways to go. For starters, we still have not seen netbooks reach their full potential. There are plenty of netbook / tablet hybrids available on the market. Let’s not forget that Intel is touting dual-core netbooks and Intel-based tablets (which we could see released to the market soon). That means the iPad has not managed to kill off netbooks just yet. (more…)

ATOM Developer Program: Intel Copying Apple?

You don’t have to be a genius to realize that the iPhone owes a lot of its success to the app store. iPhone applications have enhanced iPhone’s capability and usefulness beyond anything Apple dreamed of. It seems other companies have been closely watching and are ready to copy a strategy that has worked so well for Apple. Intel is one of those companies. As you know, the netbook market is exploding and many people around the world are starting to adopt these devices. While the market is growing, Intel can provide further momentum for ATOM-based netbooks by letting developers create useful programs for netbook owners around the globe.

Intel Developer Program currently supports Windows and Mobin platforms, but if you wait a while, you’ll get Java and Adobe Air support through this program as well. That means you can create killer apps for netbooks easily with this platform in the near future. Here is how Intel described this platform:

Provides developers with everything they need to create and then sell their applications to millions of Intel Atom-based devices.

Gives OEMs and the ecosystem a framework to deliver great new applications directly to consumers.

The details are still very sketchy about how this program will work. But it’d be exciting if it’s half as successful as the one Apple implemented for the iPhone. Netbooks are here to stay, and by using the power of the community behind netbooks, the platform can become more powerful for all of us. Let’s hope Intel and other companies that are developing their own App programs go about implementing them the right way.

Netbook Only For Kids?

The netbook market may be growing fast, but that hasn’t kept companies from positioning the netbooks in a way that sells more units. I have heard that netbooks are only for college students or people who don’t use their computers for anything but surfing the Internet. But, the latest netbook positioning attempt by an Intel SVP leaves a lot to be desired.

CNET is running a story that includes a very interesting quote from Intel SVP Anand Chandrasekher:

There are things that you would do on a notebook you wouldn’t dream of doing on a Netbook…For a kid, a Netbook is fantastic, as an adult you probably want a notebook. So, there are very simple ways of positioning and thinking about it.

Now this is one outrageous claim. I am sure the folks at Intel are trying to reposition their netbooks in a way that doesn’t take away from their laptops, but netbooks are certainly not just for kids. In reality, a kid may enjoy a laptop more than he/she would a netbook. Netbooks are designed to be portable, making them extremely attractive to people who are constantly on the go. I am sure a few kids here or there can use netbooks to get things done, but to assert that all the people who have bought netbooks should’ve probably bought regular laptops is simply a dangerous statement. I can understand Intel’s position, but one needs to be careful with words when it comes to dealing with the hottest market in the computer industry.

Your take: are netbooks only for kids?