4 ms·

PC sales rise.. they need to breakdown just what is rising there. I bet PC desktops are dead and that PC netbooks are the cause of sales rising. And why would

PC sales rise.. they need to breakdown just what is rising there. I bet PC desktops are dead and that PC netbooks are the cause of sales rising. And why wouldn't they at $300 a pop. Apple meanwhile is realizing the AIR is not a netbook and cursing every moment of it despite it being a slick machine. They need to get into the netbook offer and they may or may not do that, its not as if they are strapped for cash, but they don't like missing out on the limelight because that sparks trends, and the more people that get cheap netbooks and install osx on them the more they crinkle inside with anger. iMac sales are stalling, hence the price reduction. Laptop sales are flat. The mini doesn't even count. The only thing making Apple hotter than Jesus right now is the iPhone and App Store.

mrtron 18y ago
What? You think the average individual has heard of a 'netbook' or wants one?
- jwilliams 18y ago
  For me yeah - I get friends/family of all ages asking about them all the time.
- arien 18y ago
  Here they go for 100€ if you sign up for a mobile internet connection. They are advertised in all phone shops, so most likely everybody has heard about them. And yeah, probably the sales increase comes basically from these devices. About needing a real PC... Does the "average individual" really need one? :)
- d0mine 18y ago
  An average computer-illiterate individual might not know what a 'netbook' is but he/she can see a price tag ["I can buy a computer for $300" /think bubble].
- jonknee 18y ago
  At least two average individuals who have seen my Aspire One went out and bought one. I bet a couple more do the same soon.
Tichy 18y ago
Won't those netbook buyers wake up in a couple of weeks and realize that they need a real PC?
- ryanwaggoner 18y ago
  No. Netbook sales have been growing for a couple years and they're like 10% of all portable computer sales.
  - floozyspeak 18y ago
    So folks are buying serious desktops for gaming then? Screw that 360 or ps3 experience? Or maybe they've been buying serious PCs for all those newly unemployed?
    - Brushfire 18y ago
      I dont know if you are trying to be comical or not, but the experience on 360 or ps3 is miserable when compared to most PC gaming, especially if you game consistently and prefer aiming over auto targeting. Very distinct from the Wii, which fits well and has its own niche. So yes, most people who buy powerhouse computers do it either becuase they think they need to, or they really do need to to play the newest games.
      - projectileboy 18y ago
        I agree. I'd also add that the game industry is never given enough credit for the PC revolution. I remember back in the 80s when people started buying PCs and Apples (and others)... almost everyone I ever met said they bought them for word processing or spreadsheets, but what they actually did was play Wizardry and Castle Wolfenstein.
- floozyspeak 18y ago
  Doubtful. A real PC for what.. surfing on the net, checking your facebook status and twittering? You need serious CPU for that eh? Anything you want to do, you can basically do in a browser. Serious PC's are still out there, but the trending market of rising sales has not been on serious PC power its been on cheap, affordable luxury and thats come in the form of netbook.
Tamerlin 18y ago
"Apple meanwhile is realizing the AIR is not a netbook and cursing every moment of it despite it being a slick machine." I don't think so. They're pretty short-sighted, but although I didn't get the impression that the Air sold all that well, the technology that made it possible (like the SSD) are making their way into other products, and coming down in price. You're probably right about netbooks... but I have a feeling that Apple's response to the netbook will be a souped-up iPhone rather than a trimmed laptop. Take the iPhone, throw in a bit of extra horsepower like an Atom processor and/or a few ARM processors, and make it a bit bigger, and you have an iPhoneNetBook. Yes, I'm oversimplifying, but you get the point :)
- blasdel 18y ago
  At least for the first revision of the Air, they couldn't produce them fast enough to keep up with demand.

mrtron 18y ago

What? You think the average individual has heard of a 'netbook' or wants one?

jwilliams 18y ago
For me yeah - I get friends/family of all ages asking about them all the time.
arien 18y ago
Here they go for 100€ if you sign up for a mobile internet connection. They are advertised in all phone shops, so most likely everybody has heard about them. And yeah, probably the sales increase comes basically from these devices. About needing a real PC... Does the "average individual" really need one? :)
d0mine 18y ago
An average computer-illiterate individual might not know what a 'netbook' is but he/she can see a price tag ["I can buy a computer for $300" /think bubble].
jonknee 18y ago
At least two average individuals who have seen my Aspire One went out and bought one. I bet a couple more do the same soon.

Tichy 18y ago

Won't those netbook buyers wake up in a couple of weeks and realize that they need a real PC?

ryanwaggoner 18y ago
No. Netbook sales have been growing for a couple years and they're like 10% of all portable computer sales.
- floozyspeak 18y ago
  So folks are buying serious desktops for gaming then? Screw that 360 or ps3 experience? Or maybe they've been buying serious PCs for all those newly unemployed?
  - Brushfire 18y ago
    I dont know if you are trying to be comical or not, but the experience on 360 or ps3 is miserable when compared to most PC gaming, especially if you game consistently and prefer aiming over auto targeting. Very distinct from the Wii, which fits well and has its own niche. So yes, most people who buy powerhouse computers do it either becuase they think they need to, or they really do need to to play the newest games.
    - projectileboy 18y ago
      I agree. I'd also add that the game industry is never given enough credit for the PC revolution. I remember back in the 80s when people started buying PCs and Apples (and others)... almost everyone I ever met said they bought them for word processing or spreadsheets, but what they actually did was play Wizardry and Castle Wolfenstein.
floozyspeak 18y ago
Doubtful. A real PC for what.. surfing on the net, checking your facebook status and twittering? You need serious CPU for that eh? Anything you want to do, you can basically do in a browser. Serious PC's are still out there, but the trending market of rising sales has not been on serious PC power its been on cheap, affordable luxury and thats come in the form of netbook.

Tamerlin 18y ago

"Apple meanwhile is realizing the AIR is not a netbook and cursing every moment of it despite it being a slick machine." I don't think so. They're pretty short-sighted, but although I didn't get the impression that the Air sold all that well, the technology that made it possible (like the SSD) are making their way into other products, and coming down in price. You're probably right about netbooks... but I have a feeling that Apple's response to the netbook will be a souped-up iPhone rather than a trimmed laptop. Take the iPhone, throw in a bit of extra horsepower like an Atom processor and/or a few ARM processors, and make it a bit bigger, and you have an iPhoneNetBook. Yes, I'm oversimplifying, but you get the point :)

blasdel 18y ago
At least for the first revision of the Air, they couldn't produce them fast enough to keep up with demand.