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To: neolib who wrote (257498)	12/21/2008 4:07:40 PM
From: wbmw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 275872

Re: I think it is pretty clear that Atom/Windows currently rules the Netbook space, and for obvious reasons. The more interesting question is whether ARM systems might have a future there. You might instead ask why Atom does not have any design wins as significant as the iphone (which is ARM) in that mobile space with as good of user acceptance. It would appear that Atom largely is what it is because of ecosystem inertia. That can change. I'm happy to speculate about future products without requiring "links to back it up". :-) The problem comes when someone makes an assertion that Windows and x86 will add $150 to the price of a Netbook, and still not meet an ARM based device in terms of feature set - without giving details on how they could derive such a cost disadvantage for Intel based devices. That's the difference between FUD and speculation. Re: What is clear is that handsets sell in much larger volumes than mobile PCs, so in terms of evolving markets, I would bet on handsets coming to dominate. This likely means that the average cost of handsets rises, but it will stay below the current laptop/netbook range. You have to be very careful when talking about handsets, because these are devices that are heavily subsidized by the network providers. Verizon, AT&T, and others give consumers back $100, $200, or even $300 on the hardware, in exchange for committed contracts for service plans that are often in excess of $2000 over the 2-year contract period. So, we might both agree that these devices will evolve, but a good question is whether an Intel-based device with Windows can also be subsidized. Why couldn't it? Nothing in the hardware to prevent such a business oriented decision, and if it did happen, MID or Netbook based devices could end up having $100s worth of price reductions for consumers. Would anyone buy a MID or Netbook with WiMax for $99 for the hardware, plus a 2-year Internet contract at $59 per month, if it included VOIP capabilities? I wouldn't be surprised if such a thing was part of the Intel-WiMax strategy all along. Re: I would guess ARM wins this in the long run, because they license their IP and Intel does not. Why would this be an advantage for ARM?