Death of Netbooks Overstated, says Acer

Tablets are all the rage nowadays and since the launch of the iPad, every manufacturer on the planet and their grandmothers is putting out a tablet. The OS may differ as well as the design of the tablet, but one thing is for sure, tablets are now the name of the game.

Dead? Not yet!

With tablets reaching such a high level of success, many believe that other portable computing devices like the netbook will go the way of the dinosaur. But Acer say that’s not the cause. In a blog post by Elizabeth Woyke of Forbes magazine, Eric Ackerson, an Acer senior product marketing and brand manager said, “Tablets have impacted overall netbook sales, but we’re not stepping away from the (netbook) segment, we think there’s still opportunity for sales, including in the U.S.

He also added that “One major factor is the price gap between netbooks and tablets. The iPad, which costs between $499 and $829, depending on memory and connectivity, continues to dictate prices for tablets. Nearly all tablets, accordingly, cost more than $400. Netbooks, in contrast, tend to be $299 or less, with many in the $250 range”.

Acer has also said that while the netbook market may not witness the same explosive growth that the tablet market has seen, the price point of the netbook is one that will attract a lot of customers.