Intel and the Atom platform has had the netbook market to itself almost entirely. VIA is really the only company that is truly trying to grab market shares but hasn’t really managed to do so. The biggest threat instead seems to come from ARM-based processors. it is said that both Qualcomm and Freescale are preparing to launch ARM-based netbook platforms this summer and at Computex in Taipei.
The will be far from alone to present ARM-based platforms at Computex as NVIDIA is also planning to show Tegra-based models. Freescale will demonstrate a netbook with its i.MX51 processor, based on the ARM Cortex A8 architecture. While Qualcomm will use its Snapdragon processor, a platform that component giant Asustek has been leering at.
MSI is also interested in NVIDIA’s Tegra platform and it looks like several of the major netbook manufacturers is seriously investigating ARM-based solutions.
Analysts do not agree on whether the ARM platform will make it as a netbook platform, but according to Information Network ARM could come to trump Atom as the most common netbook platform in the year 2012, with a market share of 55%. It will do so through unbeatable prices. ARM-based processors are cheaper to manufacture while a free Linux operating system helps to keep prices down.
Other analysts claims that x86-based netbooks will remains dominant with at least 80 percent of the market in the same year. We will simply have to wait and see. But already this summer we will see the first ARM-based netbooks.
