Dell's netbook purge strikes Mini 12

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 10 Aug 2009 at 14:47

Dell has confirmed that it's taken the axe to the Mini 12, claiming customers prefer the 10in model.

Unlike the Dell Mini 9 which was dispatched in a blaze of publicity, the Mini 12 was quietly retired over the weekend with visitors to the site receiving the following message: "We are sorry! The product you are searching for is no longer available. Please have a look at the latest range of Dell Laptops currently available."

With two out of Dell's four netbook models being retired, questions began being asked about Dell's netbook strategy, prompting a response from Dell's head blogger Lionel Menchaca.

"Dell recently decided that it's time for the Mini 12 to ride off into the sunset," notes Lionel Menchaca on the Direct2Dell blog.

"So, should you read anything into this as far as Dell's commitment to the netbook space? Nope. It really boils down to this: for a lot of customers, 10in displays are the sweet spot for netbooks. That's why we offer two different 10in Inspiron netbooks for Mini 10 and the Mini 10v," he adds.

Menchaca also claimed customers expected a "little more horsepower" from a 12in netbook, because it was so similar in appearance to a fully-fledged laptop. In truth, the Mini 12 is unlikely to be missed - in our own review we described it as "suffering a multitude of sins".