Posted on Monday, June 30 2008 @ 3:45 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Intel is optimistic about the sales of Atom-based nettops but according to
DigiTimes some PC vendors doubt these devices will become as successful as netbooks.
However, some PC vendors think that although Asustek Computer's Eee PC has sparked the netbook trend, it will be difficult to pass the same experience onto nettops. The trend of traditional notebooks replacing desktop PCs has not slowed down, meaning netbooks are likely to digest sales of nettops in a similar way.
In addition, Intel has restricted the Atom platform to Mini-ITX form factor motherboards and limited memory speed and capacity, as well as disallowing support for PCI Express. These drawbacks create a specification gap between the platform and traditional entry-level desktops while pricing is not much lower. Overall, Atom nettops have a rather weak price/performance ratio.
