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Thursday, June 11, 2009
Topic: IT Management
Reference: Staff, eWeek. “10 Things you should know now about…Netbooks”. eWeek : June 1, 2009. P. 50.
I have been working on a lot of IT related capital projects lately and I am amazed by the innovation and price variance that now exists in the computer market. The acquisition costs of laptops have been greatly reduced and there are now a number of credible options in the $600 range.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Topic: IT Management
Reference: Staff, eWeek. “10 Things you should know now about…Netbooks”. eWeek : June 1, 2009. P. 50. I have been working on a lot of IT related capital projects lately and I am amazed by the innovation and price variance that now exists in the computer market. The acquisition costs of laptops have been greatly reduced and there are now a number of credible options in the $600 range. These boxes are fully functional, are loaded with capability, and will serve most road warriors well. There are also more exotic versions that feature super fast chips, large amounts of memory, and terrific storage all in the $1200 price range. All of these products cost substantially more just a few short years ago. And perhaps the hottest segment is now in the netbook market which typically sells below $500, is focused on using web based applications for most of its operations, allows email access on the go, and generally avoids using peripherals such as CD/DVD players. Memory is also greatly reduced on netbooks. In the referenced article the commentators make some great points about netbooks carving out a nice niche for portables. “IDC estimates that worldwide netbook shipments could reach 22 million in 2009.” The article also indicates that netbooks have helped to keep producers in business as more expensive models have not been selling in this market. Netbooks are seen as augmenting laptops and not viewed as replacing them. Carriers like AT&T are starting to bundle their service along with netbook equipment. As a result, strong growth is predicted. “[M]idmarket companies worldwide will purchase 1.1 million netbooks in 2009, jumping to 3.5 million units in 2010.” From an enterprise standpoint this is great news for companies. Netbook standards, functionality and offerings are substantially improving and now offer a real alternative to purchasing more expensive laptops. You can save money with a netbook deployment. However, it still requires some thought about how end users want to use the machine, advance planning on applications and any special user needs before widespread netbook rollouts takes place. Using netbooks is a valuable opportunity and one well worth investigating. Let me know your thoughts in using netbooks in your rotation.
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