When Intel launched its dual-core Atom N550 last week, it claimed that a number of major manufacturers were ready to launch new netbooks that very day. Partners were slow out of the gates, though, with product announcements trickling in over the last week from the likes of HP, Acer, ASUS and Lenovo.
One thing was conspicuously absent from almost all of the press details though - an imminent release date. With the exception of HP, who are offering dual-core Atom netbooks in the US from today, few other manufacturers are prepared to bring products to market any time soon.
The reason for this might be a little clearer after considering news from Taiwan this week, as well as research from analysts at Gartner.
Firstly, the research suggests that tablets will significantly eat-into the netbook market over the coming quarters as demand for the ultraportable PCs tails-off. None of this should be surprising, especially after conservative sales-estimates were further reduced following the resounding success of the iPad. With tablets expected to flood the market in great numbers, there will be huge amounts of pressure on the maturing netbook-sector.
According to Digitimes, this has led many companies to delay launching their new products for a few months in an effort to clear inventories of older models during the back-to-school season. This will also prevent the new-stock going head-to-head with the wave of tablets that will launch at similar price points and with similar capabilities. As a result, the majority of netbooks powered by the N550 aren't expected to reach the market until October of November of this year.
For those who are waiting for a dual-core netbook, you may have to wait a little longer, or choose from the relatively slim-pickings that will launch in the coming weeks.
