14 DAY TRIAL // Many rumors and reports about the purported 'death' of the netbook market have been running around the web recently, but Acer figured it was time to set the record straight and eliminate whatever overblown impressions may have arisen.
That tablets have negatively affected sales of netbooks, and laptops overall, is not something that can really be disputed.
On the other hand, it would appear that the rumors about slates actually being on track to driving netbooks completely out of the market might have fallen a bit hard on the wild side.
Among other things, it was hypothesized that tablets with detachable keyboards, like the Eee Pad Transformer, would actually drive netbooks extinct altogether.
Now, Acer entered the spotlight in order to dispel such notions, saying that there is no way entry-level mobile PCs are going to disappear any time soon.
“Tablets have impacted overall netbook sales, but we’re not stepping away from the [netbook] segment. We think there’s still opportunity for sales, including in the U.S.," said Eric Ackerson, an Acer senior product marketing and brand manager.
Of course, being one of the greatest advocates of netbooks in general, this stance is not surprising on Acer's part.
There is also the fact that netbooks are significantly more affordable that slates are right now, or have started to be after they went through not just one, but two general price cuts.
In fact, it is this very price point that is expected to keep the netbook market perfectly afloat, even if sales aren't growing as quickly as expected last year, before slates came to be.
“The death of netbooks is overstated. We may not see the same explosive growth [in the category] as before, but the netbook price point is still killer," said, Lisa Emard, a spokeswoman for Acer, in an interview with Forbes.