Software a hurdle for ARM-based netbook hopefuls

Rick Merritt, Dylan McGrath
EE Times (03/05/2009 6:20 PM EST)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Qualcomm Inc. and other vendors are using ARM-based processors to try to muscle their way into the netbook market, where Intel's Atom dominates. How quickly and to what degree these devices will be able to capture netbook market share is an open question, one that centers largely on consumer demand for the familiar user experience offered by Windows XP.

Windows XP requires x86 processors. Linux, used as an alternative, lacks the ease-of-use and PC features some users expect.

As a result, Atom will continue to dominate the netbook sector for the next few years, according to Mario Morales, vice president of global semiconductor research at International Data Corp. (IDC). Morales predicted ARM-based netbooks with processors from Qualcomm, Freescale, Texas Instruments and others will ship this year but command no more than 10-20 percent of the market for the next few years.

"You don't want to burn Intel," he said. "If I am an AsusTek, I need to get processors for my other product lines from them."

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