With the Netbook Summit in San Francisco underway, and Apple’s iPad shaking up the mobile computing market, Retrevo.com has released a new “Pulse” study about the mobile computing market. Following are some highlights of the study:
° After the iPad was announced in January, 40% of people surveyed held off on buying a netbook, and bought an iPad instead.
° Thirty percent of people surveyed held off buying a netbook after the iPad was announced in January. Then, they bought a netbook.
° Of people currently looking to buy an iPad or netbook, 78% of them are leaning toward an iPad and 22% are leaning toward a netbook.
° Of people who bought a laptop or netbook last year, 35% choose a netbook and 65% chose a laptop.
°Of people who are looking to buy either a laptop or a netbook this year, 35% are looking to buy a netbook, while 65% of them are looking to buy a laptop.
Retrevo.com says Apple may have grabbed 30% of those netbook buyers who held off purchasing a netbook and eventually decided on an iPad. Now that the iPad in all its variations is on sale at your local Apple Store, it looks like consumers who are struggling with the decision to buy an iPad or a netbook are overwhelmingly leaning toward an iPad with 78% in that group going for the iPad, says the research group.
What’s more, the traditional laptop itself seems to be resurging in popularity to the detriment of netbooks. Laptops offer full-sized keyboards, large displays, optical drives, and now, even longer battery life. They’re still not as portable as netbooks but they are getting cheaper. Of those consumers who wrestled with the decision to buy a netbook or laptop, 65% chose the laptop and 35% chose a netbook over a laptop, says Retrevo.com.
The story looks much the same for those now considering a laptop or netbook over the coming year with 35% leaning toward a netbook over a laptop and 65% leaning toward a laptop over a netbook, the research group adds.
