Ionescu reports, “The Retrevo survey asked consumers whether they are planning on buying an iPad or a netbook: 78 percent said they would be choosing an iPad, while only 22 percent would choose a netbook.”
“Analysts say however, that the iPad won’t cripple sales of netbooks, at least not this year, mainly because the $200 or so gap in pricing between the two types of device,” Ionescu reports. “Jeff Orr, an analyst with ABI Research, reportedly said earlier this month that just one percent of potential netbook buyers would be impacted by tablets, like the iPad.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Whew, that’s a relief for junky netbook peddlers; everybody knows analysts are always right – even when consumer survey data totally refutes the analyst’s assertion. 
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carlos G.” for the heads up.]
Hey, if I were a manufacturer of computer hardware, of course I would prefer to make almost NO profit on a netbook vs make 35% profit on an iPad… Cause market share means everything.
Of course, its two different markets.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Just a thought,
en
Keep in mind that the PC box makers showed some growth last year because of their netbooks sales. Without it, they would have lost ground. However, Apple had no problem growing in hard times. And now the netbook killer is Apple’s iPad and the netbooks inventories started drying up in January and February this year. I would be supprised if they have 22% by year end.
I, for one, am looking forward to what HP can do with WebOS.
I love iPhone OS, and I still think it’s the best thing out there, but let’s face it, it’s had no competition. Perhaps HP can build on WebOS’s strengths and help create a dynamic market in tablets. AND leave Windows behind forever.
It’ll be fun to watch.
There can’t be much profit in junky netbooks, MDN, so I don’t imagine that continued sales will offer much relief to the junky netbook peddlers.
Or was that sarcasm?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”tongue wink” style=”border:0;” />
bon,
I would have no problem with your idea if I thought it was a likely possibility. I just don’t see it. HP used to be extremely innovative with their own OS, and their own processor. Those days are past.
WebOS has some nice qualities but it was created by a dying company on it’s last legs. It is incomplete work and rapidly falling further behind Apple.
Wait for Apple to drop the price by $100 or $200 for the base models when they introduce the iPad 2.0
This is funny, because RETREVO published a survey back after Steve presented the iPad, and they announced that “Apple iPad Hoopla Fails to Convince Buyers” and ” Consumers Lose Interest after Announcement”.
http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2010/02/apple-ipad-hoopla-fails-convince-buyers
To be honest, I don’t want to hear a Survey about this stuff. I just lambasted a bunch of Android fanboys for taking an NPD survey at facevalue, which later was totally BS according to Admobs own stats.
Cool, funny, and great news. But it’s a survey. Bounds of reason guys.
Actually, Apple makes far lower margins than it’s norm on the iPad, that’s why they mentioned in the last conference call they were projecting lower Gross Margins for the rest of the year. Recall, the iPad was priced really aggressively. I’m guessing the GM is about 20% on the entry iPad of $499. Clearly, the other models have better GMs since more ram is not priced at $100 increments, nor is a 3G radio $129 more.
iPads are nice, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve got an iPhone and an iTouch. Why on earth would I need an iPad? And, as for netbooks – I love mine. Replaced my MacBook with an EeePC running Ubuntu (Gave my MacBook to my son for college). Sad to say that I don’t even miss the MacBook – the netbook is a great replacement. It’s much smaller and lighter (i.e., more portable), but can still do nearly everything the laptop could do. If I need to do something a bit more cpu intensive, I just use my wife’s Mac Mini. I’ve played with an iPad, and while they’re very nice, I don’t think they can replace the functionality of a netbook (at least yet). In current form, there’s no way the iPad is going to wipe out the netbook market – especially given the $200 price difference.
Oh, and as for the MDN statement that netbooks are “junky” – have you actually used one lately? I’m sure there are some that truly are junky, but many are very nice. I have absolutely no complaints with my Eee. The wireless card has better reception than did my MacBook. Screen quality is about the same. Battery life is much better on the Eee. The Eee essentially copied the MacBook chicklet style keyboard, and they actually did a pretty good job. To be honest, I really haven’t found anything about my Eee that fits the description “junky”. I like Apple hardware a lot, but I can’t find much fault with the build quality of my Eee. Perhaps MDN should try one out. No reason to call stuff junk just because Apple doesn’t make it. Especially in a market where Apple has no offering (i.e., netbooks).
@me
I understand and see exactly where you are coming from…BUT
It’s sort of like this… You are riding around on motor scooter. It’s great. It gets you where you want to go and does what you want it to do. Yes it has it’s limitations but you can live with those. The human need to rationalize is incredibly powerful.
But you went to the motorcycle store and saw the new model, sat on it…even started it up. You didn’t actually ride it or take it on the road or USE it for a month or longer…yet you can’t imagine how it might replace your motor scooter or how the iPad might replace a netbook.
All the reports thus far indicate that once you USE it for a while it becomes just like the iPhone. Indispensable. The things it ENABLES become part of what you NEED.
Hope this explanation is helpful
@pr
You’re probably right – I’m sure if I used an iPad for a while I would find it indispensable. Would it replace the netbook? For some things “yes”, but for other things “no”. For instance, I don’t think it would be a viable option for connecting to my work network and doing work when I’m on the road. The netbook works great for this. On the other hand, for casual surfing, I’m sure the iPad would be awesome and quickly replace my netbook in that regard.
But my point remains that even as an Apple fan, I don’t feel compelled to buy an iPad. The netbook/iPhone/iTouch are doing just fine for me now. I had the same apprehension before buying my netbook that I have about the iPad. But I now find it indispensable.
OK, let’s split the difference. The iPad gets about 40% of that market, the netbooks another ~40% and light-weight laptops (MB and MBA) the rest. The netbook makers still can’t squeak more than a pocket full of pennies from all their sales while Apple continues to rake in the cash.
I can live with that.
The original iPad is not something I will buy. Admittedly, the only things missing that can’t be fixed in software are a built-in camera with mic and/or a USB port. Version 2.0 is on its way, though. ;^)
When the features of the next OS (iPhone/iPad) hits later this year the game will be up. When 3rd party apps can run in the background like Apple apps do the device will be a death blow to all the crappy & cheap laptops and net books out on the street.
Mark my words, when school starts back this fall and college students without iPads see other students using them, the game will be over for the net book with the influential college crowd and the iPad will be THE thing this holiday season. This time next year the current stock price of Apple will look very cheap.
@me
You are aware I assume of the Citrix app that lets you access a PC and control it, connect to servers, and do whatever else with an iPad…plus the bluetooth keyboard for the iPad…
I AM curious if the eee has 10 to 14 hours of battery life, and is easy to use for reading books, and the magazines (genuinely part of the flow of research for many jobs) the iPad now enables, textbooks (ongoing education is part of many jobs now), and pure time savings…instant on vs. boot, no troubleshooting or downtime.
No disrespect of course. I don’t have an iPad but do own a 20″ iMac, PowerMac, and Macbook Pro, Apple TV and two iphones.
I’m going to keep my powder dry for a while yet but the iPhone OS 4.0 is looking more and more compelling.
@ Me,
Trust me, if you fell in love with an Eee, you won’t like an iPad.
Just delete MDN’s URL and forget you ever heard of the iPad. It’s not for you. You are a Windows expert. You like screwing with that damn OS all day long. Withdrawal would be a bitch. A User Interface that was intuitive and very easy to use would annoy the hell out of you.
The one major killer app still to go on the iPad would be some form of free or reasonable IDE so people can start hacking scripts and their website other than logging into their ISP control panel in the brorwser (not too elegant). I’m not talking about creating native apps, just otherwise create content like web pages.
When that happens, it’s all over.
@acid
I did run across this
but so far it’s not there…I’d bet you will see one in the next couple of months though…It’s a great idea…
@ bon
> I, for one, am looking forward to what HP can do with WebOS.
It will be a while. Until a few weeks ago when the magnitude of iPad became known, HP was going to go with Windows 7 as their tablet OS. Once they realized their planned “Slate” device would be a complete embarrassment next to iPad, they decided to acquire Palm and use WebOS.
Unfortunately for HP, WebOS is optimized for PDA-class devices and will need to be scaled up. That’s a lot harder than scaling down Mac OS X into iPhone OS, and Apple has been carefully and thoughtfully refining iPhone OS for years. iPad will soon have iPhone OS 4.0 and that will further delay the time when a WebOS-powered tablet will be competitive enough to not be embarrassing. HP is not the type of company that releases products before they are ready.
When it eventually happens, I agree that it will be interesting. But HP is not going to make one in time for holidays 2010. They will probably show it as a prototype at CES 2011 and release the product just before Apple can up the ante once again with iPhone OS 5.0 and a new version of iPad.
Netbooks: Cheap crap.
There will always be a public demand for cheap crap. Therefore I take offense at the notion that the iPad will kill off the netbook!
Seriously: All one has to do is play on a cheap CPU, low RAM, MS Windows Starter Edition POS netbook to laugh and laugh and laugh at the foolishness of the tech ignorami. No sympathy.
Big DUH that the iPad has dramatically better sales, usability and lasting value.