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AMD's Moorhead slams netbook price creep
Ben Furfie Sep 17 2008, 11:42am
Comments (1)
Adds that expensive models are of limited use outside the house because of battery life issues
AMD's Pat Moorhead has expressed serious concerns over high-end models of netbooks, describing the recent price creep as pointless.
Moorhead, who is the firm's vice president of advanced marketing, said in an interview with gadget site Slashgear, AMD is taking a wait and see approach to the market, as it feels these high-end models may be unsustainable, especially as the push into territory occupied by entry-level laptops, which have more power and functionality, albeit with a slightly larger screen.
He was also highlight critical of the device's battery life: "You would expect eight or nine hours out of a netbook because it's small – maybe you'll compare it to a cell phone.
"In fact, for some of the ones that I've tested, probably the hottest one has an 1h45 of battery life.
You're not going to take that with you as a road warrior…around the house it seems okay, though," he added.
It's not the first time AMD has expressed concerns over the market.
Moorhead's comments come after Sony's senior vice president of information technology products Mike Abary recanted on comments earlier this year suggesting Sony may be about to join the netbook fray.
"Sony has to participate because consumers are our core competency. We have to participate," he told Engadget at a recent press event. That is a change from his comments earlier this year, which suggested Sony might avoid the market all together after Abray described it as a race to the bottom.
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Comments
“Glad someone is saying this”
Posted by: Truth Teller - Sep 17, 1:34pm
First of all, he never calls them, "useless", he is just asking if consumers know the tradeoffs at $499. I am glad someone has the guts to be looking out for consumers. If the MSI Wind with the 3 cell battery gets 1 hour 30 minutes, is it good for the road warrior? I think not. And do consumers know the limitations in performance of the netbook and really think its a notebook? I am sure many do. That's why you see the prices rising as "real" configs, those with 6 cell batteries, large hard drives, larger screens, opticals, are emerging.