Netbooks Are Hot, MacBooks Are Not

Meanwhile, the netbooks market is heating up as the recession bites into consumers' wallets. ITIC projects that netbook unit shipments will double over the next year, although they have a small base at present.

More expensive laptops, however, may suffer. A survey by online consumer electronics recommendation site Retrevo found that most students won't consider buying a Mac because they can't afford one. Thirty-four percent of the more than 300 people surveyed said they'd buy netbooks, while 49 percent said they would buy full-sized PCs.

The release of Windows 7 on Oct. 22 will further hit Mac sales, Retrevo president and CEO Vipin Jain told LinuxInsider. "We think Windows 7 is likely to change the playing field for Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) More about Apple in the laptop category."

That will also open up the market for Google, if it can keep its eye on the ball. Click Here to read more.

WHETHER YOU’RE SPENDING less in the recession or not, scaling back on your college-bound kid’s next computer purchase may be a smart move.

Netbooks are becoming a more popular alternative to laptops and desktops, thanks to new technology that has put considerable computing power in the small, ultraportable devices. The devices are also economical: netbooks rarely top $400, and many basic models cost half that. “For 95% of users, a netbook is their next computer,” says Alex L. Goldfayn, an independent technology analyst who hosts “The Technology Tailor Show” on WGN Radio, where he helps consumers find the right gadgets to fit their needs. “Everyone should be looking at them as an option.”

2.  Stick with big names
Netbooks are one of the few hot categories among broadly slumping electronics sales, which means many gadget manufacturers are racing to put out a model. Check expert and consumer reviews to find models from manufacturers with a reputation for quality products and good service should something go awry, says Andrew Eisner, director of content for Retrevo.com, an online electronics marketplace that offers user manuals and consumer reviews. His picks: established brands including HP (HPQ: 44.37*, -0.31, -0.69%), Asus and Toshiba (TOSYY). Click Here to read more.

Despite an overall market dive -- and despite a slew of new product releases -- Apple stock is at about the same position it was a year ago. That's not bad, considering the circumstances, but will the company deliver anything before the end of the year that sends its value flying, even in a recession?

No Money No Mac

Apple is also lagging on the sales front. At its second-quarter earnings call in July, COO Tim Cook warned that demand has fallen in the education markets this year and expressed doubt that things would turn around in the third quarter.

That statement was bolstered by the results of a survey of more than 300 visitors to consumer electronics marketplace Retrevo's Web site. The study, conducted by Gadgetology, found that 34 percent of students buying computers plan to purchase netbooks, while another 49 percent plan to buy desktop PCs. Click Here to read more.

A recent survey from consumer electronics website Retrevo says that 49% of students plan to buy Windows laptops and 34% want netbooks. Only 17% said they would buy Macs.

What happened, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)? Last March, a Morgan Stanley study found that 40% of college students planned to buy a Mac. Sure, these are different surveys from different providers with different methodologies, but the gulf is enough to suggest there's been movement in market sentiment. What gives?

Retrevo's answer is, not surprisingly, the economy. Kids or their parents aren't willing to pay $1,000 for a new Mac when they can get a comparable PC from Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) or Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) for much less. Or better still, a netbook for as little as $200. Click Here to read more.

Small, relatively inexpensive, lightweight laptops geared to Web-based computing are gaining in popularity; even vendors like Intel and Qualcomm — not known as device manufacturers — are jumping into the market (Qualcomm is calling its device a “smartbook”). Of course, traditional hardware device makers like Dell and HP are also introducing netooks. Click Here to read more.

Consumer electronics shopping resource Retrevo says that Apple's absence from the netbook market is hurting it with students buying laptops. The company has released the results of a study showing the trend.

According to the "Gadgetology" study—culled from Retrevo's own users—34 percent of students buying laptops are planning to purchase a netbook. Another 49 percent want a full-sized laptop, and the majority of student laptop buyers aren't considering a Mac.

Click Here to read more.

A survey of US students re-leased this week by Retrevo , the online consumer electronics marketplace, indicates that just over a third of students buying laptops plan to purchase small, lightweight netbooks. Another 49 per cent are buying full-sized laptops. Click Here to read more.

that's a lot of mini-laptops, suggesting that, for kids at least, the form-factor has become mainstream and not a niche category.

It also shows that a fair few students are willing to forego the power of a full-size machine in return for a device that's a darn sight more portable.

Retrevo said respondents favoured computers that are small and light. But it's price that's really the key factor. Around 58 per cent of respondents said they would spend under $750. Click Here to read more.

The results showed that around 34 percent of students who are shopping for a new laptop are drawn towards the ultra portable low cost Netbooks and approximately 49 percent are looking to purchase full size PC laptops.  Click Here to read more.

That's the conclusion reached by a small survey conducted recently by consumer-electronics ecommerce website Retrevo.

Of the 300-plus students surved by Retrevo, 34 percent of laptop buyers will purchase netbooks, and 49 per cent will buy full-sized Windows-based machines. Click Here to read more.