The Apple iPad has pretty much single-handedly killed the eBook reader market, and now that most eBook readers have been forced to slice their prices in half, it appears that the iPad has set its eyes on another gadget: Netbooks. Asus Eee PC netbooks have been a huge success in retail stores like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and beyond, but Q3 2010 isn’t looking so good and Asus claims that the iPad is to blame.
When netbooks first hit the market, lots of people thought that the netbook would be the “laptop killer” due to their smaller size, lighter weight, and long lasting battery life, but everything that people said about the netbook vs. laptop can be said ten-fold about the iPad vs. the netbook. The iPad is sleeker, has 10+ hours of battery life, and weighs less than any netbook on the market. In addition to beating the netbook at what it does best, the iPad also did away with the laptop keyboard and went all “touchscreen” on everybody.
With all of the iPad’s cool features it still can’t compete with the netbook in one category: price – but price is no match for social acceptance. Engadget reports that Jerry Shen, CEO of ASUS, has specifically named Apple as an invader that is “crowding” netbook demand – and his claims are far from incorrect. Apple has already crushed ASUS’s Eee PC line’s spring and summer shipment by shipping over 3.27 million iPads worldwide and showing no signs of stopping.
ASUS is by no means succumbing to the status of the ill-fated iRex when it went up against Apple’s iPad – and ended up bankrupt. ASUS is still selling a heck-lot of netbooks, but the iPad continues to be a thorn in ASUS’s side and things will continue to get tough for ASUS as they continue to fight for market share in a crowded netbook market – and imagine how things will get when all of the iPad-like clones hit the market.
Honestly, the iPad and netbook are two totally different gadgets that serve very different purposes, but they appear similar enough for consumers to have to make a decision as to which one they should own – when they could possibly own both (or neither). Unfortunately, lots of netbook owners are proud owners of laptops or desktop computers and it makes more sense for them to nab an iPad instead of a netbook.
For more, read 5 Ways the iPad is Making You Hate Your Laptop, The ClamCase iPad Accessory Will Turn Your iPad into a Netbook – Sort Of, and Is Asus a Good or Bad Laptop and Computer Brand?
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