AMD: iPad won't kill netbooks

 

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By Darien Graham-Smith in Cannes

Posted on 12 May 2010 at 07:45

AMD has rejected speculation that the Apple iPad could significantly eat into the netbook market.

“The market for netbooks is, what, 30 million [units] a year, around the world?” said Nigel Dessau, AMD’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, speaking in Cannes at the launch of Acer’s new range of AMD-powered systems. “For the iPad, from the research I’ve seen, I think next year’s maximum is ten million units.”

So there will be people who use iPads and people who use netbooks. And I think we’ll discover there’s room for both

He acknowledged that the iPad had a certain momentum, but pointed out that the platform isn’t without limitations. “The bright, shiny object is always the thing we want to follow, but here, on the other side of the world [from home] I can’t get any movies on to it. And I can’t type emails on it.”

“So there will be people who use iPads and people who use netbooks. And I think we’ll discover there’s room for both, there are uses for both, and there are opportunities for both.”

Acer vice president Gianpiero Morbello chimed in, explaining that manufacturers such as AMD and Acer didn’t need to be concerned about the rise of any particular form of computing device.

“We simply want to satisfy customers’ needs,” Morbello declared. “If a user wants a flat screen instead of a clamshell design, we’ll be ready to satisfy this. For us, design is a continuous process, and we are prepared.”