Netbook prices set to fall

Acer has slashed the prices of its Aspire netbook from $399 to $349. In addition, its Linpus Linux Lite will also see its price drop from $379 to $329. Netbooks, a new category of affordable, low-powered computing platforms, was a major topic at the recent Intel Developer's Conference (IDF), where Intel reaffirmed its commitment to netbooks. Post-IDF, industry speculation is that netbooks are headed over a price cliff because of the sudden realization by manufacturers of the number of competitors they faced. Richard Doherty, research director for Envisioneering--an electronics market research firm--remarked about the recent IDF conference, "Dozens and dozens of netbooks were shown." Certainly, netbook makers would have come to the conclusion that they will need to be more aggressive in terms of pricing. Good news for consumers, I suppose.

To read more about netbooks:
- check out this blog from the New York Times