Nokia is set to release an Android based netbook next year, according to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Daniel Amir. The analyst says the netbook will be available through mobile operators and will be geared towards average mobile customers
?We have confirmed that Nokia is planning to enter the netbook market,? says Amir in a research note.
The device may be the first netbook to run Google’s open-source mobile operating system, which has garnered excitement from many in the mobile and PC industries. Companies such as HP and Chinese firm Skytone are also rumoured to be planning their own Android netbooks, but no confirmation has yet been made by any of the firms.
Amir predicts the netbook market will expand by 150% this year, with unit sales rising from 10m in 2008 to 25m in 2009. Many netbooks sold through mobile operators are bundled with mobile internet connections and marketed as ultra-portable internet connected devices rather than small PCs.
Nokia recently signed a partnership deal with Intel in a move which analysts say is designed to help the two firms gain a foothold in each other’s markets. The deal gives Nokia a fall back plan if its ARM-based netbooks fail to make an impact on the market.
Intel reportedly expects a wide scale rollout of Android netbooks next year, and is thought to have been working to optimise its processors for the operating system for a number of months.
Intel has so far had limited success in the netbook market, and has failed to make any impression on the market for smartphones. The US chip maker has lost out to ARM, which makes smaller chips which use less power than Intel’s, in the market for processors used in mobiles. ARM has remained dominant in the mobile phone chip market while Intel leads the market for laptop and desktop processors.
StrategyEye's related categories: PCs, Mobile Phone Devices
StrategyEye's related companies: ARM Holdings, Lazard Capital Market, Intel, Nokia, Google
