Good news for the eager band of ARM-based Netbook spotters, is that a general manager from the ODM spin-off from Asus, called Pegatron Technology, said the company has received a 'large volume' of orders for 'Smartbooks' (the name given to ARM-based Netbooks) from 'a number of clients'.
The statement added that the Smartbooks would, most likely, be launched by, or in collaboration with, wireless carriers.
The good things about the Smartbooks are: long battery life; always-on wireless connection; a $200 price tag and a quick boot.
Helping to reduce cost will be Smartbook manufacturers' relief from paying for a Microsoft licence because Microsoft has refused to port Windows XP/Vista/7 to ARM.
Having processors sourced from half a dozen suppliers will also be a substantial factor in keeping cost down.
Other ODMs are said to have many Smartbook designs looking for OEMs to badge them.
Of course Qualcomm was the first to break cover on a real Smartbook event, announcing a Lenovo-manufactured, AT&T-connected, SnapDragon-based Smartbook for Q1 2010.
And Qualcomm seesm to be leading the Smartbook charge with some splendid statements showing hos they'll blow away Wintel Netbooks.
"A Netbook in our view is just a cheap laptop that runs Windows. We see the smartbook cannibalizing the Netbook", says Qualcomm's Luis Pineda.
Well good for him.
After all the sightings of pretty-looking prototypes, at last it's looking as though this elusive beast is about to emerge into daylight.
I can't wait.
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Comments (8)
I hope these companies will not overlook the "Dumbbook" market. Some of us don't want to be required to pay monthly fees for wireless telecom service. We just want a full-fledged Unix experience in a small for factor -- terminal, Perl, Ruby, PHP, Mysql, etc.
Just provide me with the equivalent of an Asus 901 without the fan and battery limitations. (ARM's Cortex-A9 for starters; Intel or AMD in perhaps five years. ARM seems furthest along in an integrated package that meets these requirements; competition will force the rest to catch up.)
Posted by dbs | November 26, 2009 4:24 PM
Posted on November 26, 2009 16:24
Hopefully, dbs, that's what we'll get, and hopefully they'll be available on pay-as-you-go terms as the iPhone is.
Posted by David Manners
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November 26, 2009 4:32 PM
Posted on November 26, 2009 16:32
What about the Always Innovating smartbook?
Posted by Peter G> | November 26, 2009 9:34 PM
Posted on November 26, 2009 21:34
Well, Peter G, with very low cost, and universally available, hardware and software, an unlimited number of new players can get into smartbook manufacturing, and that means the Always Innovating smartbook will be the way smartbooks will probably go. The control exercised by the Wintel duopoly means that all netbooks currently look alike. A multi-sourced smartbook industry could mean a return to the pre-IBM PC days - remember Dragon, Oric, Osborne, Acorn, Sinclair etc? It could be a very fun world the world of the Always Innovating smartbook.
Posted by David Manners
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November 26, 2009 10:22 PM
Posted on November 26, 2009 22:22
PJ at Groklaw says she'll be buying this machine. I too will be buying a Linux-based ARM machine -- that doesn't require "tethering" to a cellular provider.
So ARM is where it's at (not to mention Linux)!
Posted by bbaston | November 27, 2009 12:06 AM
Posted on November 27, 2009 00:06
bbaston, Yes, good, I'll be buying one too, as soon as i can get my hands on one. I'd prefer something untethered with a pay-as-you-go cellular connection which can pick up the nearest/strongest signal from any network and which can also pick up a WiFi signal. That would be perfection for me.
Posted by David Manners
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November 27, 2009 10:45 AM
Posted on November 27, 2009 10:45
There's no such thing as a "Smartbook", the term is designed to artificially differentiate between X86 and ARM architecture Netbooks. I suspect that whoever coined the term, meant to imply that the ARM powered machines were less capable, in the hopes that they wouldn't take over a significant portion of the market.
Posted by The Mad Hatter | November 27, 2009 5:51 PM
Posted on November 27, 2009 17:51
Well Mad Hatter, I would respectfully submit that the term Smarbook was coined by Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm, and Rich Beyer CEO, of Freescale - both arch-apostles of the ARM-based netbook. So while you are undoubtedly correct in saying the term was invented to distinguish between x86 and ARM netbooks, I would suggest that the term was not intended to demean ARM-based machines, but to suggest that ARM-based machines are better.
Posted by David Manners
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November 27, 2009 6:09 PM
Posted on November 27, 2009 18:09