[Marketing] Toshiba press release for NECC

[David Farning]

On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 12:14 PM, Sean DALY<sdaly.be at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for that Fred
>
> Toshiba is a bit confused on their netbook page
> (http://laptops.toshiba.com/laptops/mini-notebook/NB200); at the top
> is a "Toshiba Recommends Windows Vista Ultimate" badge, while the
> range offers the "familiar" Windows XP.

I am viewing this confusion as a good thing.  The netbook is
fundamentally a disruptive technology and no one is sure what to do
about it.

It strikes me that we are in a similar position to the console radio
vs transistor radio and mini computer vs. personal computer struggles
of the last couple decades.

No existing vendor wants to cannibalize their own high end laptop
market with lower profit netbooks.  On the other hand, if someone else
offers a product, vendors can't afford not to match it and get left
out of a potentially large market.

Particularly telling is microsoft's recent attempt to re-brand
'netbook' as ‘low cost small notebook PCs.’  It will be interesting to
see how this plays out.

david

> The netbook seems to be the only candidate model for small kids, but
> it looks fragile to me. Marketing argument is: "made for showing off,
> connect to social networks", which is not at all education targeting
> like the solid Dell Latitide 2100. I can't imagine anyone giving a
> $1200 swivel-screen tablet to a kid.
>
> No info about the software offer for kids, which indicates there isn't any.
>
> When they say their "laptop" range starts at $350 MSRP, it's easy to
> understand why that NPD study
> (http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10270881-92.html) found that 40% of
> spontaneous purchasers of netbooks were disappointed with them
> (despite saving a thousand dollars or so). Microsoft has encouraged
> OEMs to beef up netbooks in order to run Windows on them, but it's
> beginning to look like they are killing the upper segment of laptops
> by blurring the distinction between laptops and netbooks. If consumers
> can't quickly understand the value proposition of a $1000 machine
> compared to a $300, they will choose the cheaper one and make do with
> it. I'd be surprised though if a school went with these for small
> kids.
>
> thanks
>
> Sean
> (competitive landscape)
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 6:32 PM, Frederick Grose<fgrose at gmail.com> wrote:
>> http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090629005320&newsLang=en
>>
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-- 
David Farning
Sugar Labs
www.sugarlabs.org