Comments on: Analyst: 'big 'bang' to hit PC and handset industry

PC and handset industry will clash on tweener products like Netbooks and smartphones.

[dascha1]

"We expect most users to continue to require two devices: one large form factor device and one small form factor device,"

Let's not forget the large 37-52" Papa Bear HDTV all-in-wall in our budgets' forecast.

[Mr. Dee]

Wouldn't the Apple PowerBook 100 be considered a Netbook?

[3rdalbum]

Not really; the Powerbook 100 cannot run a modern enough web browser for Mac OS, and it has less processing power than even that $99 Hivision netbook. A NETbook really does require a good web browser :-) If you tried to solve the web browser problem by installing Debian or NetBSD for m68k, I don't think you could run an X server, let alone Firefox, with the low amount of memory in those machines.

[mike.gw]

Vendors should just make devices with 3G and Wifi radios in them. Handhelds, tablets, Netbooks, etc. Cellular vendors have offered "Family Plans" for multiple cell phone devices for years. This allows a family of 4 to have individual phones, yet pool minutes for a savings compared to 4 individual subscriptions. Apply this same model to devices. Verizon, AT&T, etc, should allow me to purchase a basic wireless plan, that will enable me to share the minutes between my cellphone, netbook or whatever specialized wireless device I want to carry. Yet, I would just get 1 bill, with a small premium for being able to use all my devices. To prevent abuses, the carrier could restrict your devices to 1 simultaneous voice/data session at a time. This would allow me to talk on my iPhone, and browse the web with my netbook, but prevent my spouse from using my 3G laptop that I left at home, to browse the web.

[Forked_Tongue]

I think the reason why the demand for the single core Atom processor is wanning is due to the new dual core Atom that's out there now, I expect to see dual core Atom netbooks out soon, it will be interesting to see if the price is comparable to entry level notebooks.

Regarding smartphones, this category won't disappear and will always be restrained by the size that will fit into someone's pocket, the laptop and netbook category is not under any threat of disappearing as long as they have a monitor out that will allow it to connect to hdtv to use as a monitor for prolonged sessions and watching streaming videos.