Hewlett-Packard Co on Wednesday will unveil a new mini-notebook in a move to gain ground in the fastest-growing PC category, which until now has been dominated by its smaller rivals.
Netbooks ultraportable, inexpensive laptops designed for Web browsing and light tasks have taken the PC market by storm this year, with smaller computer firms such as Acer Inc and Asustek Computer Inc leading the charge.
HP's sleek new Mini 1000, costing about $400, is significantly different from the company's first netbook release, launched last spring. It uses Intel's Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, and is also substantially less expensive.
Each new netbook is less than 1-inch thick, weighs a little more than 2 poundsand has a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a standard notebook PC keyboard. All come with a BrightView widescreen Infinity display (1,024 x 600 resolution) with flush glass and LED backlight, built-in webcam and microphone.
Analysts said the company was impacted by its delayed entry into the mini-notebook market.
Bob O'Donnell, vice president at IDC, estimates 10.8 million netbooks will ship in 2008, out of the more than 300 million overall PC shipments forecast for the year. He expects netbook shipments to jump to 20.8 million in 2009.
Carlos Montalvo, vice president of marketing in HP's managed home business, said the Mini 1000 is a superior product to the "second- and third-tier" offerings from competitors, which he said have been "over-optimized" for size and price, and lack HP's consistency and quality.
Without releasing specific numbers, Montalvo said HP's first netbook, which was targeted at the education market, was "phenomenally successful." However, he said the Mini 1000 is aiming for a broader audience.
HP Mini 1000
The HP Mini 1000 features a piano-black finish with HP Imprint swirl design is pre-installed with Windows XP Home. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Versions with 3G capabilitiesare expected to be available in December. The new netbook will start at $399 jumping to $549 for a fully loaded model. The company's first netbook, the 2133, starts at $599 and tops out at $749, features a Via chip and runs Windows Vista.
Configuration choices include screen size ? 8.9-inch or 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display ? and solid-state or mechanical hard-drive options.
HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition
The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition comes in red. It seeks to satisfy the Internet-centric fashionista and features a 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display.
The Vivienne Tam Edition companion PC runs Windows XP Home. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. It will retail for $699. Versions with 3G capabilities are expected to be available in December.
HP Mini 1000
The HP Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet
Experience) is a simple, mobile Internet companion. An HP-developed interface makes it easy to enjoy digital content ? videos, photos, music and email ? on demand and on the go. MIE comes loaded with instant messaging, email and Skype for online video chat.
The HP Mini 1000 with MIE runs the Linux operating system. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. It will be available for $379.
The netbooks will all feature a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a standard keyboard, and will weigh less than three pounds.
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