If Intel can prevent OEM’s from using the Dual Core CPU in their netbook and notebook designs, how come they can’t stop Dell using the Z-Series Atom in a notebook? Just as the Dual-core CPU could damage notebook sales, so to could putting a 12" screen on a netbook, even if it didn’t have a dual-core CPU inside.
I was alerted to this misnomer [hmmm wrong word perhaps. Anomaly?] today via a brief news item today from Tony Smith of The Register who draws the conclusion that the name of a leaked Dell device that will go on sale at UK supermarket Tesco, the Z530, means it will have an Atom Z530 inside. Actually he’s right because if you look back to the early leaks, you find a 12.1" ‘E-Slim’ device based on Silverthorne. Dell are actually going to throw a device right into the middle of the consumer laptop arena and give it netbook-style pricing. This is the danger zone and possibly the beginning of the end for netbooks as we knew them.
Why the Silverthorne CPU and Poulsbo chipset though? Style, Battery life and video. It’s going to be a normal laptop aimed at ‘pro-sumers’ and the ‘Youth social networking/entertainment’ customers. They are aiming for a cheap, super-slim device with ‘all day’ battery life with high-end video playback support and the only way they can do it is to move to the latest Intel MID silicon. I like the idea myself. I have a ultra mobile PC (Still haven’t pulled the trigger on a new Q1 U HSDPA yet though) and a stylish, 12" ultralight with long, long battery life and high-end hardware decoded video playback would suit me as a partner device to take to conferences and to use for hot-desking.
Why am I even talking about this 12" notebook on UMPCPortal though? Apart from it further bluring the edges of the, once well-defined, netbook category, there are a number of other reasons. The main one for us is that it will be running XP and that means drivers! Those of us waiting for drivers for the SC3, D4, SX3, M528 and Aigo MID are going to finally have XP drivers for the chipset. One can assume that if Dell is the customer, the device will have working drivers too! The second point is one that I alluded to earlier and one that I’ve just detailed in an email report to UMPCPortal sponsors and donators. The netbook market is going to be damaging because consumers are finding that they can use a netbook in place of a normal laptop. It IS powerful enough for many. Consumers are truly finding peace with netbooks. When devices like this Dell cross over into the larger netbook market, they bring with them the low-cost pricing and that immediately damages the main notebook market. We end up with a pricing war that, in the long run, reduces funds for R&D, quality engineering and niche products. While the 12" Dell netbook device may look good for consumers now, it could cross over into the danger zone and cause real problems for the future.
Its not unlike how their Dell Axim series (esp the X51v) with the PDA market. Which launched with highend specs reigning the crown for unrivaled specs for 4 years, with a good price sticker in its time.
Its not all bad, as it keeps smart companies from releasing subpar on-market “filler netbooks” with no differing feature sets from the next and I believe ths will also force Sony to make an noteworthy entry.
I don’t think there will be many copycats to Dell spec wise as it is costly and will turn into hot sell-unprofitable giveaway. I assume most will keep competitive with endurance, free premium office ware(Xp), 3G, easy customization, and possibly some touchscreen/UMPC-like models & dual boot/instant OS concepts etc.
But yeah, I agree it could turn for the wost.
i wouldnt worry about it, it’s not the end of the world, the PC market isnt going to crash. it’s just going to pave the way for efficient, environment friendly, widespread PC adoption for everybody, & force MS to release a OS that can match.
hopefully gone are the days of bloat, lazy programming, & idiotic consumers that think they need to have dual/quad core CPU’s when the only things they do are surfing, email, word processing. the highend market will ALWAYS be around for HD content & gaming, but hopefully it will be reduced to the niche that technically it really is.
right now everybody is driving around Ferrari’s that they dont even use the potential of & ruining the world along with it, when they should be driving around in Civics. leave the Ferrari’s to the guys that actually need them for racing.
Broic put it perfectly, gone are the days of excessive living. the PC market needs to finally just grow up like so many other industries have over the years. most consumers right now are driving around in SUV’s/sports cars (dual/quad core) sucking down gas (electricity) when they dont need to be. millions of PC’s out there using VAST amounts of resources that they dont need to be, what do you think makes that electricity? oil. the world is changing in a big big way, look at whats happening in Americas financial industry right now with the recent bail outs. when their market suffers generally all markets suffer in the long run.
it’s about time PC’s become greener along with MS’s latest OS & leave the highend market for those that truly need it i.e. gamers.
personally i think its a good thing & to propose anything else would be irresponsible and show someone has no real understanding of the current global market.
i knew it would only be a matter of time before Atom would start being offered in mainstream laptops, the 15″ market wont be to far away now. and why shouldnt it be? it offers enough performance to do what 95% of the market does on their PC’s, browsing, email, word processing. while at the sametime be substantially cheaper & saving precious energy.
i like the analogies put in place so far, why should grandma be forced to drive a Ferrari when the only thing she does is go to the store for milk & bread? a Civic would be perfect for her & help save the world along with it.
the current PC industry mentality (OEMs & consumers) is ignorant & embarrassing. it’s about time mentalities change & people grow up. if you dont think millions & millions of over priced gas guzzling DC/QC PC’s out there running effect the world then you have another thing coming.
there is NO need for power users to worry as their will always be the highend market to satisfy their needs, it just doesnt need to satisfy grandma also.
most 12″ laptops are at best prosumer, or even roadwarrior in pricing, so this thing risks more then just seriously bluring the line between laptop and netbook (i would claim that the “netbooks” with hardrive and xp, and a price normally found on a 14-15″ laptop have already done impressive damage to that thin line)…
If they sell them as portable devices, with SSDs, no DVD/CD burner, then they can sell add-ons (like external storage that could be Flash, Drives, or Raid 1 USB devices AND external USB powered CD/DVD drives, bags, etc…) For Retail they will make it up anyway AND DELL already give you the option of USB powered external stuff including CD/DVD burner with DVD player software for Windows and Linux WITH the Mini 9 web store choices (before you know it you are up to a price between $600 and $800 ! Go to the Dell Store and see! As the manufacturer and retail outlet, they make out. If Dell packages the same thru normal main street retail outlets, then those locations had better train their staffs for the add-on sales as well! For the c can go as low price as you want up front, and get add-ons as you can afford them later on! Intel? Well they get the volume the they have not been seeing with MS VISTA sales. Light prices up front, brings in a class of buyers that thinks the buy is a no brain’er. Wait until the $98 netbooks show up (as seen from China lately). And if they look and act at all like the Everun Note with same exact basic design (and sunlight readable touch screen from Pixel Qi, who is claiming that they will be very cheap to build those screens, and add much longer battery life, etc)? WELL! Then the fur will start to fly!
For example: College campus’s will be the first big hit as these ultra-portable yet powerful enough devices you can take this to class to take notes on maybe, and if 10 hour battery, you can go all day long and be mobile! NO ONE will want a traditional size laptop, if needing to be portable at all! The writing is on the WALL. UMPCs, Netbooks, very mobile stuff, IS the way of the future… and by next spring we will see it all before us! No one figured the EeePC would sell…, I think that Intel and Dell got the picture now, only one behind in the scheme of things is AMD (what do they got)?
I think we’re just going to have to drop all these classifications and boxes. Heck, it’s like religion … I’m a catholic, I’m a baptist, I’m a C-of-E. New technology and applications are not going to be restricted to these boundaries of size, weight and form factors. My dell 12″ e4200 will outperform any netbook and that’s more important to me than the fact that it’s not a netbook size, although it’s lighter than some at 1kg. All this reminds me of the early days of stereo, where we listened to the crackles instead of the music …
Its the pricing problem and resulting lack of R&D in both netbook and laptop markets that worries me most. Not the naming. Dell is moving into laptop land with some really distruptive marketing here.
I don’t see the R & D going where the money is being made. Just take graphics chips for example. They bring out new high specs for gamers and then that filters down to everyone else. Vista and other bloatware was being lazy using the extra capability without adding much to what was happening.
Intel (who do spend a lot in R&D) saw a new way to get there corner of the market and have gone for it. I think this means companies will be forced to spend more in R&D and design, otherwise they will be left behind. We are entering a new time of chaos in the market and it is exciting and some will catch the crest and surf on down and others will be lost. Come 5 years time there will be a whole new game in town, and its already started :-)
This looks like the machine I have been waiting for…
How much longer will I be waiting?
I could never understand why 12″ is a premium category!
I think maybe there will be a dip in price, only later to increase.
UMPC’s like that are cheaper,environment friendlier, and probably suit the needs of the consumer a lot more than Laptops do.
The fact is,those that will need ultra power devices, or company representatives,probably still will buy higher end (mini-)notebooks, and I believe there’ll still be a budget market (just like there’s the budget/performance market in videocards and CPU’s).
I think there’ll always be UMPC’s manufactured (at least for the coming 10 years),even if many brands will fall away, ending with 2 to maybe 5 main mini-laptop manufacturer brands.
Like pc’s there are those who want to pay for the latest,most flashy looking device; and those that just want the cheapest. I think both are to be seen as separate markets to be.
And as far as I’ve seen, I don’t really find the mini-laptop market as attractive as before anymore..
When OLPC came out with the XO for almost $100,and Asus with the EeePc for 299, those where great prices for laptops.
Already a year prices have skyrocketed, and a mini notebook now costs on average above $500.
For there was a time I’d said: I’d prefer to go with a $500 Laptop than a $500 UMPC. But lately UMPC’s have done something about their battery life, to last longer than $500 laptops.
Anyways, the tables have already turned,and the majority of people if ever they need to buy a new laptop will choose for a mini-netbook.
Depending on how this coming 12″ is going to look like,some people might go for a full feat. 15″ cheap laptop, while others might prefer smaller form factor.
I think the majority of people prefer a 10″ device over a 12 or 13″ device.
And those who like things big,usually prefer 15 or 17″.
The 12 and 13″ market, only makes up for a very small share of the market. Granted those laptops are (where)the most expensive.
But I think it mainly had to do because of lack of supply of customized products like 12″ LCD screens,or smallfactor battery… etc..
I think with the emerging market of the UMPC, smaller components where being mass-produced, easier to be gotten, and thus the price should have gone down already…
I think the 12″ laptops probably will go down from $2000 to $1500, not because of the lowering demands, but because of the greater availability (and lower price) of the parts.
Anyway,that’s my thought about the topic.
Had a look on the Tesco’s website and couldn’t find the model mentioned here, but there is a Dell Inspiron N270 with an 8.9″ screen, 8Gb SSD running Linux due to be available from 6th October for £249
(http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.204-8967.aspx)
12″ version link is http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.204-8424.aspx
Dell fails on delivery on lattitudes
I was due to receive my new E4200 tomorrow 23/10 Only today I get an automated email reporting that it will be another month before delivery due to excess demand. I wonder if this delay will spread across the board to other dells direct sales? Seems more likely there are production/technical problems to me. I ordered this machine on the 18th sept!
We create & distribute unique, safe and effective products that help people supplement their lives. We are proud to offer a wide range of natural health supplements, over the counter health products and skin care products.
This is the second time I visit your blog and find an interesting article perfectly matching what I was searching for so I decided to add your feed to my RSS Reader. Thanks for you work.