Dell has confirmed it will no longer produce consumer netbooks, saying that ultrabooks will lead its mobile laptop strategy in future.
A Dell spokesperson told The Verge that the company will no longer make new consumer netbooks. It said it will instead focus on “thin and powerful” devices for its mobile laptop strategy, suggesting that ultrabooks will be the way forward for Dell.
The netbook was created in 2007 as a smaller, less powerful laptop designed for portability. However, the popularity of this PC category has dwindled. In the fourth quarter of 2011, tablet shipments reached 13.6m units, compared to 7.3m netbooks.
The ultrabook could provide further competition, as this category offers portability without sacrificing on power. There will be a lot of focus on this new category as Intel Capital has invested a US$300m Ultrabook Fund to help drive it.
Of course, it remains to be seen if ultrabooks can offer a competitive pricepoint to netbooks, which have been traditionally much less expensive than most other computers.
