Ah, graphics. One of the present-day netbook’s Achilles’ heels. While NVIDIA struck a deal earlier this year with VIA to work on its netbook-friendly “Nano” processors, it appears that the graphics giant is employing a wait-and-see position towards the rest of the netbook market in general.
NVIDIA CFO Marv Burkett said at a recent technology conference, "We’re not saying we’re not interested; it’s a matter of how the market will evolve." That statement strikes me as a bit odd, since NVIDIA’s increased participation in the netbook market would likely be a catalyst in actually helping the market evolve.
NVIDIA VP of Investor Relations, Michael Hara, eluded to the fact that netbooks are okay for basic computing but they lack the graphics horsepower needed for adequate gaming and video-watching experiences. Gee, if only there was a graphics company that could make powerful integrated GPU chipsets for these computers.
The whole “we’re waiting to see how the netbook market shakes out” argument just seems a bit weak now that most major computer companies have produced netbooks. Apple and Sony appear to be the biggest feet-draggers left – although Sony’s apparently got a netbook in development after saying “We are letting the pioneers in the market make the mistakes.” while Apple’s Steve Jobs said “The market is just getting started – we’ll see how it goes.” Add NVIDIA to that list too, I guess.
[via PC World/IDG News]
