£100 netbooks take over from laptops as a ‘back to uni’ essential

£100 netbooks take over from laptops as a ‘back to uni’ essential

Netbooks have taken over from laptops as the university essential, according to customer review and price comparison site Reevoo.com.

Reevoo.com’s research indicates that in spite of size, storage and processing power limitations netbooks are set to become more popular than laptops with budget-conscious students. The average price of a netbook this August is £230 versus £370 for a full-size laptop. Students can pick up a slimmed-down netbook models from as little as £100.

Reevoo.com’s research shows that back in early 2008 netbooks represented less than 5 per cent of the market, but have now grown to as much as 22 per cent. This dramatic change has been driven by a new breed of ‘laptop’ buyers who were previously priced out of the market, including students who might not have been able to afford their own computer in previous years.

Across the board, netbooks score higher in reviews than equivalently priced laptops. They win particular praise from student users, whose appreciation for netbooks’ increased portability and attractive design translates to higher scores than laptops in these areas (9.1 vs 8.1 for portability and 8.8 vs 8.4 for design). Despite having a reputation for poor battery life, netbooks beat laptops hands down in purchaser reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10 for battery life, compared to laptops’ 6.8.

Student shoppers who reviewed netbooks say that they’re “light enough to carry around the university campus”, the “right size for taking to lectures”, equipped with “amazing battery life” and good for “silent operation in the uni library, lectures etc”.

However, students won over by the advantages of a light, cheap netbook should watch out for hidden costs. The £100 price point is only possible by scrimping on the extras that laptop users expect as standard. Reviewers frequently complain netbooks do not come with Microsoft Office as standard “which, being a student, is essential” or “other software necessary for students”.

Reevoo.com’s PC specialist Ed Jefferson said: “Netbooks are a great fit for students as they’re more portable, meet all the basic needs like essay writing and web research and come with a very reasonable price tag. The great reviews they’re getting show that shoppers are finding them as or even more satisfactory for their needs than laptops.”

Samsung is really shaking up the market for netbooks. Reevoo.com has found that its flagship model, the NC10, is a massive hit with shoppers, selling 4 times more than the top-selling Sony and 10 times more than the top-selling Apple. The NC10 is also the most highly-rated netbook by Reevoo shoppers, scoring 9.1/10 (based on 2164 reveiws) and scooping the Silver Award in this year’s Reevoo Customer Choice Awards.

The second most popular model is also a Samsung, the N110, which offers more battery power than the NC10 for £40 more. Asus are another laptop manufacturer who excel in the netbook market, and its EEE901 is very popular with shoppers (8.9/10, based on 156 reviews).

The definition of a netbook is not universally agreed upon by manufacturers or shops and will continue to evolve, but currently the term most often refers to a laptop that:

• Costs under £400
• Has a screen under 13 inches in size
• Weighs under 1.5kg
• Doesn’t have a CD/DVD drive
• Has a single core processor

About Reevoo
Reevoo.com provides trusted shopping advice to help shoppers decide what to buy and where to buy with confidence. Reevoo supports 90 European Retailers and Manufacturers by providing them with genuine customer opinion and reviews on-line, in-store and via a mobile platform. These channels enable businesses to engage with shoppers, leading to a direct increase in sales. Reevoo ensures that every customer review is from a real shopper and commits to publishing all product reviews, good or bad, enhancing credibility in a world where trust is increasingly hard to gain and maintain.

Shoppers can also keep up to date on Reevoo’s blog, www.decidewhattobuy.com

Notes to editors:
The Samsung NC10 scores 9.1/10, and is also the most popular product, with 2164 customer reviews. Prices from £260.
The Samsung N110 scores 9.0/10, based on 102 customer reviews. Prices from £309.
The Asus EEE 901 scores 8.9/10, based on 156 reviews. Prices from £300.

The Reevoo Customer Choice Awards
The Annual Reevoo Customer Choice Awards are announced in April. This year, the awards were based on over half a million customer reviews written by confirmed purchasers. All shoppers rate products that they have bought on several criteria, including overall score and value for money. The awards cover twenty one categories – from camcorders to cookers – and are based on post-purchase reviews from shoppers at 60 of the UK’s leading online retailers. The winning products, as chosen by shoppers, represent the very best in electrical products and appliances for the kitchen, laundry, living room and on-the-move.

Press contact:
Ed Jefferson
020 7654 0634
edjefferson@reevoo.com