NPD Group: Netbook buyers often feel disappointed

Here's something mobile broadband operators should pay attention [1]to as they begin to aggressively push netbooks tied with two-year mobile broadband contracts.

According to new research from NPD Group, netbook owners are more likely to feel disappointed with their purchase than people who buy more expensive laptops. The firm's new survey of 600 American adults revealed that 58 percent of consumers who bought a netbook instead of a laptop said they were very satisfied compared with 70 percent who said they planned to buy a netbook all along.

Netbook owners' disappointment, said NPD analyst Stephen Baker, comes from expectations that the netbook was going to have the same functionality as a laptop. Six out of every 10 netbook buyers surveyed thought the two were the same, he said.

The 18-to-24-year-old demographic was especially unhappy as 65 percent said they expected better performance than what they received from their netbooks.

The bottom line: OEMs, and carriers for that matter, should be educating end users on the pros and cons of netbooks.

For more:
- check out NPD's release [2] 
- check out TechWorld [3] 
- watch this slideshow [1]

Related articles:
Pyramid Research: Netbooks to drive mobile broadband [4]
AT&T to expand netbook offerings [5] nationwide
AT&T, RadioShack [6] face class action suit over netbook data plan