Intel: "netbooks aren't the real deal"

 

Gallery

By Reuters

Posted on 30 Jul 2009 at 16:36

Intel has claimed that first time PC buyers won't touch netbooks because they're not the "real deal".

"I don't think first-time buyers are going to buy netbooks," said Intel's sales chief Sean Maloney at the Intel Technology Summit.

"The first time you buy something you want the real deal. It's consistent not just in China, but all around the world. If you're going to spend your hard-earned money for the first time, you're going to put a computer in your house," he said.

Netbooks have sold most frequently to people who already own one or two PCs, Maloney said. He claimed he didn't see this trend changing any time soon.

Intel's second-quarter revenues for Atom processors and chipsets spiked 65% from the first quarter to $362 million. In contrast, sales of chips for fully-fledged laptops rose 16.7%.

Maloney argued that Intel's strategy was to introduce people to computing through its low-cost netbooks, particularly in emerging markets, then drive those people towards more powerful second machines.

During the same event, Maloney also delivered a ringing endorsement of Windows 7. Intel previously snubbed Vista, but claimed there were "no excuses" not to upgrade to Windows 7.