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In many ways it still seems like the netbook is the industry’s unwanted child. At every turn, major PC manufacturer will take the opportunity to explain why the netbook is a poor replacement for a laptop, and yet survey after survey, shows consumers are snapping up the handy devices.

Another survey out this week by online price comparison retailer PriceGrabber.com, offers a somewhat different spin on the argument. According to PriceGrabber’s Portable Computing Trends Consumer Behavior Report, the percentage of consumers who own a netbook has increased to 15% this year, compared to 10% a year ago. Additionally, 11% of consumers plan to purchase a netbook in 2010.

If PriceGrabber’s survey is correct, then by the end of 2010 at least one quarter of the market will own a netbook. But here’s where it gets interesting: the survey found that 55% of consumers do not consider a netbook a feasible replacement for a laptop. Additionally, 63% see the netbook as more of an additional device for when on the go.

So, the survey would seem to lend some substance to laptop manufacturers’ claims that netbooks are not a feasible replacement for laptops. Still, consider the following. In 2009, 91% of netbook owners also owned a laptop. In 2010, the percentage of netbook owners also owning a laptop has fallen to 86%. The drop isn’t exactly enough to set off alarm bells just yet, but it is worth noting.

And here’s where it is perhaps causing laptop manufacturers the most concern. The survey found that netbooks - which can be snapped up for less than $300 - are having a significant impact on the amount consumers are willing to spend. Sixty-five percent of consumers say the maximum they plan to spend on their next computing device is $750, even though 52% spent more than $750 on their last device.

PriceGrabber also reported that the average price of products in the laptop category dropped to $645 in December 2009 from $808 in December 2008, a 20% drop.

To me, the whole laptop versus netbook battle hasn’t so much been about how much functionality can be packed into a box, but about the increasing need among business and consumer users to have Internet access and basic computing functionality while on the go. It’s the step between what smartphones are today, and what they may become.

As such, I don’t see the momentum towards netbooks slowing down any time soon, with this category leading the way in mobile innovations.
 

Comments (1)

	1. 02-17-2010 02:26
	The netbook is a great appliance and should be considered just that. It is not intended to be a replacement in most situations but simply a smaller device which is more flexible and easier to travel with. My wife has both a laptop and a netbook, using the netbook when she is not at home and using the laptop when she is. This allows her to get the most out of both of them.    -sean Registered

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