I was waiting to read about what impact the economic crunch has had on the PC industry… Today on Techmeme I read a post by Gartner that said “In the North America market, the economic crunch created more interest
in the sub $500 segment. Because the mini-notebook is still a new
segment, it is too early to determine if the emerging segment created
new market opportunities, or if it cannibalized lower priced systems.”
This is relevant for the family market, as more families realize that in the era of Homework 2.0 kids NEED computers for school – PC’s and notebooks will become required purchases. But what type of PC should families get? Is is worthwhile to get a $500 notebook or spend even $399 more and get one of those new $899 Apple laptops (see link related Engadget post)? Or how about looking at the $900 – $1000 category at CNET reviews that includes premium Dell and HP laptops? Better yet, take a look at the Desktop section at CNET reviews that the following categories:
CNET Reviews Desktop Categories-
For families looking for computers, now is a good time to find value for your money! The big question is: Which one should you buy?
I will be looking into this for my holiday buying guide coming out in November. Any suggestions?
CNET also discussed how the economic crunch is leading to families to cut the cord and go wireless instead of home family telephone service. My DSL is done and I started using my USB Broadband card for my home DSL use. I am wondering if I need to plug my DSL in now that it is fixed?
Hmmm, there are so many interesting areas of technology that families will be looking at differently as they try to tighten their belts more then ever.
Hi Beth
Timely blog. I focus my writing on Home Tecnology and the best ways to best leverage broadband (in your case ADSL).
I’m never at a loss for things to research…
Great blog
Frank
I’m back…..Apple MacBooks are now available for less than $900
Cost is of course an important consideration. Equally important, though, is how you are going to use the PC/laptop, which can impact how happy you are with the product, as well as longevity. You’ll see a lot about a new category of PCs (“netbooks” powered by Intel atom processors or the PC’s “brains”) that sell for under $500. These are great for wireless Internet use and basic computing tasks on the go but are less ideal for processor intensive applications like video and gaming that require a higher-end processor. Great reader QA on this in NYTimes today – go to http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/technology/personaltech/30askk-002.html?scp=2&sq=intel%20atom&st=cse. Disclosure – I work at Intel.