Netbook hopefuls face software hurdle

Qualcomm Inc. and other vendors are using ARM-based processors to try to muscle their way into the netbook market, where Intel's Atom leads. How quickly and to what degree these devices will be able to capture netbook market share is an open question, one that centres largely on consumer demand for the familiar user experience offered by Windows XP.
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Windows XP requires x86 processors. Linux, used as an alternative, lacks the ease-of-use and PC features some users expect.

As a result, Atom will continue to dominate the netbook sector for the next few years, according to Mario Morales, vice president of global semiconductor research at International Data Corp. (IDC). Morales predicted ARM-based netbooks with processors from Qualcomm, Freescale, Texas Instruments and others will ship this year but command no more than 10-20 per cent of the market for the next few years.

"You don't want to burn Intel," he said. "If I am an AsusTek, I need to get processors for my other product lines from them."

Qualcomm's Snapdragon, first introduced in 2006, is a platform that combines a processor core, digital signal processing and 3G connectivity and promises low power consumption for daylong battery life.

According to Qualcomm, 15 manufacturers are currently developing more than 30 Snapdragon-based products, some of which are expected to be in stores later this year.

Some of these products are smartphones, such as the Toshiba TG01 announced last month. Other Snapdragon-based products currently in development include netbooks, according to Qualcomm. The list of companies developing Snapdragon-based products includes netbooks OEMs and ODMs like Acer, Asus, Compal, Quanta Computer and Foxconn International Holdings.

According to Luis Pineda, senior vice president of marketing for Qualcomm's CDMA Technologies group, netbook manufacturers see Snapdragon as a compelling solution over Atom. Pineda cited Snapdragon's power efficiency—which he said eliminates the need for heat sinks and internal fans in a netbook—and promise of 3G connectivity.

"A netbook is no good if you can't connect to the Internet and have to look for a WiFi hotspot," Pineda said.

Pineda acknowledged that Qualcomm faces a challenge because netbooks powered by Atom are already widely available and popular. The product category, which offers razor thin margins because of its low price, is nevertheless hot right now. Market research firm Gartner Inc. projects that shipments of mini-notebooks—including netbooks—will increase to 2.1 crore (21 million) units this year from 1.17 crore (11.7 million) units in 2008—even as overall PC shipments decline 12 per cent.

Pinneda calls Snapdragon a game changer. He and other Qualcomm executives say Snapdragon will define the netbook category by enabling devices that are always on and always connected to a 3G network, similar to the way consumers enjoy a smartphone.

Asked about the lack of Windows XP support, Pineda said this new always on, always connected user experience will ultimately be more relevant than what operating system is used.

Over time, improvements in Google Android and other environments are expected to reduce the software barrier.

"I saw a lot of effort in mobile Linux at the Mobile World Congress this year," said IDC's Morales. "ARM will gain traction as Linux takes off," he added.

Morales said vendors with ARM-based devices are typically selling parts that integrate much of the silicon needed for a netbook for 15 per cent less than Intel gets for Atom.

"Netbooks are just not a good semiconductor opportunity, even the PC guys don't like them despite the fact they represent incremental volume," Morales said. "You need to create a high end of this low-end market to make it a more interesting opportunity."

In January, Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network, issued a report suggesting that Intel's fourth quarter 2008 numbers were hurt by the success of netbooks because Atom cost about $200 less than Intel's more expensive Penryn devices for notebooks. Castellano and others have suggested that netbooks cannibalise the market for more expensive notebooks.

Qualcomm's original 1-GHz Snapdragon has been in production since last year. The company in November announced a dual-core 1.5-GHz Snapdragon single-chip solution, which Pineda said is currently sampling.

Freescale in January introduced an i.MX51 system-on-chip that sells for less than Rs.994.38 ($20), including a separate power management chip and a Linux software stack, said to enable a sub-Rs.9,943.84 ($200) netbook. TI's OMAP 4 platform is marketed for smartphones and mobile internet devices, but a spokesperson said that could also apply to netbooks, depending on how the term is defined. The platform is capable of supporting netbooks, the spokesperson said.

Europe is generating much of the netbook demand today, in part from telecom service providers selling the devices like cell phones at relatively low prices with an Internet service contract, Morales said.

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Source：EE Times India

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