Netbook prices

[Falloutboy]

has anyone else noticed they have gone up in price lately? got my GF a Mini 10V on a deal for 199 a year ago and can't find anything around that price now. everything seems to be 250+

 

[corkyg]

I believe that there have also been improvements in performance, etc.

 

[frostedflakes]

MSRP has always been about $300 for a basic Atom netbook. You got the Mini 10V on sale I guess. Still not that hard to find netbook sales if you shop around a bit. Maybe easier now that they aren't as sought after, seems like tablets have become the next trendy gadget.

Also corkyg is probably right as well. Consumers have expressed an interest in netbooks with larger screens, more powerful processors, more powerful graphics, etc., which means higher cost. So in that way prices have gone up, new netbooks and subnotebooks with more features have been introduced. But if you want a barebones Atom netbook it will cost you about as much today as it did a couple years ago.

 

[StrangerGuy]

MSRP has always been about $300 for a basic Atom netbook. You got the Mini 10V on sale I guess. Still not that hard to find netbook sales if you shop around a bit. Maybe easier now that they aren't as sought after, seems like tablets have become the next trendy gadget.

Also corkyg is probably right as well. Consumers have expressed an interest in netbooks with larger screens, more powerful processors, more powerful graphics, etc., which means higher cost. So in that way prices have gone up, new netbooks and subnotebooks with more features have been introduced. But if you want a barebones Atom netbook it will cost you about as much today as it did a couple years ago.

...And defeating the point of netbooks. What's the point of those 12.1" Atom slowpokes when a slightly bigger $750 13.3" 3820TG demolishes them in raw performance and performance/price? If you don't mind 14" there are even more choices to pick from.

 

[Zap]

What's the point of those 12.1" Atom slowpokes when a slightly bigger $750...

The whole point is cheap, small and long battery life. If I could have the performance of the 3820TG with 13 hour battery life and 2.8 pounds for $350, sign me up!

 

[MadScientist]

Check the Dell outlet store for the mini 1012. I got refurbed one for my son last month for $170. shipped with a 25% off coupon. Current promotion is 15% off, code $?PQVHNHMRMSSG, until 12/8.
The 1012 has a faster and more power efficient processor than the mini 10v and longer battery life. Also much easier to upgrade ram. Just have to remove the keyboard. I upgraded the ram to 2GB and loaded Win 7 Ultimate 32bit from a flash drive, runs great.

You missed the BF deals. Frequently check these sites for deals and Dell coupon codes:
http://www.logicbuy.com/
http://www.techbargains.com/

 

[MadScientist]

If the OP is still looking for a netbook, starting 12/26 in store and on line Walmart is selling the Acer Aspire One Black 10.1" AOD255-2301 Netbook with Intel Atom Processor N450 and Windows XP Home with SP3 for $198. + tax. Yes, only a 3 cell battery.

Intel Atom Processor N450
1.66GHz, 512KB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB
1GB DDR2 667MHz, Expandable to 2GB
1GB memory will allow you to do the computer basics of web surfing, emails and documents
160GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive
Store 106,000 photos, 45,000 songs, or 84 hours of HD videos and more
10/100 Ethernet LAN; 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Certified
Connect to a broadband modem or a wired broadband router with wired Ethernet, or wirelessly connect to a Wi-Fi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built right into your PC
10.1" WSVGA Acer CrystalBrite LED-backlit display with built-in Webcam
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150

Additional Features:

Built-in 1.3 megapixel HD (1280 x 1024) webcam and microphone
Multi-in-1 digital media card reader
3 x USB 2.0 ports, headphone/speaker/line-out jack, 1 x microphone-in jack, 1 x VGA, 1 x Ethernet port (RJ-45), 1 x DC-in jack for AC adapter, 2 stereo speakers, multi-gesture touchpad
3-cell lithium-ion battery for around 3 hours of use

Software

Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3 installed
Microsoft Works 9 with Microsoft Office Trail Edition (60 days only)
McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial
Norton Online Backup

Support And Warranty:

1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty with Toll-Free Tech Support

 

[frostedflakes]

I've noticed that Dell Mini 1012 netbooks have been selling pretty cheap on eBay lately. You can get a new one with Atom N450, 1366x768 10.1" screen (this is very, very nice for a netbook), Broadcom HD card for playing back high def video, 1GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 6-cell, 802.11n, etc. for like $300 shipped. The screen and Broadcom HD decoder make this really nice IMO for the price, basically unheard of at the $300 price point. Just be careful when shopping, there are older versions of the Mini 1012 also on eBay that aren't as fully equipped. The old ones come with the standard 1024x600 screen and no Broadcom HD card.

Here's one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Dell-Mini-10-1012-PERFECT-GIFT-250Gb-6-Cell-Webcam-/110627808297

 

[techs]

Yah, netbooks have driven out the lowest price notebooks, as predicted.
With no really low price notebooks, the netbooks inevitably have risen to fill that niche with better performance, and higher prices.

 

[vbuggy]

I guess it depends on what you call a netbook.

The closet I was prepared to get to one is an i3-330UM with an X25-M.

 

[hulkhelton]

i bet there will be some $200 netbooks again after new years.

 

[fleshconsumed]

I guess it depends on what you call a netbook.

The closet I was prepared to get to one is an i3-330UM with an X25-M.

I would not call 330UM a netbook. It's way faster than an Atom. Whereas Atom stumbles when displaying simple web pages 330UM has zero problems.

Anyway, I wouldn't say that netbook prices have risen significantly. I would say they more or less stabilized. I remember Asus 10" netbooks were close to $500 when they came out, then they came down in price and we saw a whole slew of netbooks at about $200-$260 price points, now the typical price seems to be from $270 up to $350 with occasional sales at $200. Works for me though. I sold my 1000h because I was tired of performance problems for $225 and got 330UM for $450. In the end I spent only $225 to get a usable machine. Sweet... Hooray for people still buying netbooks.