ARM CEO expects netbook domination in coming years

Arm Chief Exective, Warren East, thinks that netbooks/smartbooks could penetrate as much as 90 percent of the total PC market in a few years time. You would expect East to be bullish, but even so they are quite bold predictions.

“Although netbooks are small today – maybe 10% of the PC market at most – we believe over the next several years that could completely change around and that could be 90% of the PC market. We see those products as an area for a lot of innovation and we want that innovation to be happening around the ARM architecture,” said East.

Even without Windows support, the company is still bullish on its prospects, saying that it will succeed “with our without” Windows support. “There’s not really a huge amount of point in us knocking on Microsoft’s door, Microsoft knows us very well, it’s worked with us for the past 12 years, all its mobile products are based on ARM,” he said.

“It’s really an operational decision for Microsoft to make. I don’t think there’s any major technical barriers. Microsoft’s well aware of the technical support we can provide to them, but it is an operational challenge for them, and one that only they can work out. We can’t really help them with it.”

Via PC Pro.