Friday, November 4, 2016
Nokia Enters the Netbook Market
Nokia Enters the Netbook Market
Just as the case of Google entering the OS market; it was also inevitable that at some point Nokia was going to enter the netbook market, which has been confirmed now. Nokia prefers to call its gadget the ‘Booklet 3G’. This move by Nokia is not surprising as most traditional mobile phone manufacturers like Samsung have entered the netbook market. In an interesting move, traditional PC manufacturers like Dell, Apple and Acer have also entered the smartphone market. Even Garmin which is synonymous with navigation equipment also announced its own smartphone. Many netbooks are sold through traditional Nokia customers, carriers, and, thus, represent a natural extension of the company’s business. In Europe, wireless service providers account for more than 25% of all netbooks sold, according to consultant IDC. Carrier subsidies on netbooks are roughly similar to those for smartphones, which is why, for Nokia, entering this market makes perfect sense. Nokia is entering a market that offers fairly good margins.
The flagship of the new entrant can be said to be the claimed 12 hour battery life. With most netbooks topping at around 7 hours using the 6 cell batteries Nokia appears to have set a new benchmark in the netbook market. Other selling points include 3G/HSPA and Wi-Fi for total connectivity and this is a boon for consumers as few, if any netbooks packs so many features in a single unit. Nokia also claims the new netbook feature a HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling and integrated Bluetooth. Also included is 10-inch HD ready display and integrated A-GPS. While there are no details on the graphics powering the netbook, Nvidia ion chips are a sure bet. More common features include the ubiquitous Atom processor and an SD card reader. Some sources have claimed the netbook will be running Windows but it’s not clear whether it’s XP which is common on most netbooks or the upcoming Windows 7.
From the release pictures it looks like the netbook is much bigger than the ordinary netbook and this will surely make it much comfortable to use. The name Nokia itself is a selling point and unlike other netbook debutants the company cut its teeth by tablets like the hugely popular Nokia N810 tablet which is set to be succeeded by the even eagerly awaited N900. Besides the tablets Nokia is no newcomer to the PC market because way back PCs were among the wide range of products Nokia made before it became a cell phone powerhouse. It sold off the computer division in 1991. Considering that this is a gadget which certainly packs a punch Nokia seems to have stolen the show from Apple which is also expected to release a tablet later this year or early next year. If the Nokia netbook works satisfies customers and the price is not on steroids like the case with Apple products then the Apple tablet will find itself all dressed up with nowhere to go. The fact that the netbook will also have an aluminium casing also makes it a direct competitor with Apple which usually uses aluminium chassis for its M
Nokia has set the pricing date, market availability and detailed specs for the netbook on September 2. However, it is likely the price will be steeper than most netbooks as this is definitely a high end mini-laptop. Inclusion of 3G also suggests some monthly subscriptions which will almost make the ‘Booklet 3G’ a niche product.
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