Rumor: Intel to launch Atom N500 series in June, ASUS netbooks to follow
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 26th 2010 1:07PM
posted April 26th 2010 1:07PM
Details on this one are pretty light at the moment, but DigiTimes is reporting that Intel will be launching its Atom N500 series of dual-core processors this June. That word comes from the site's "sources from notebook players," who also say that Intel will be revealing more details on its third generation netbook platform at the same time. Unfortunately, that's about as specific as they're getting right now, but there are naturally some netbooks rumored to be launching alongside the new processors as well, with ASUS apparently already planning at least one N500-based netbook for the third quarter of this year that will sell for around $575. Of course, Intel itself isn't saying any more on the matter than it did during its recent earnings call, but the timing of the rumor does line up suspiciously well with this year's Computex (June 1-5), which would be as good a place as any for a big netbook-related launch
Probably wont even notice a difference in performance, Intel really needs to increase atom's processing power. I get you need good battery life and all but seriously.
@CJisohsocool
I agree completely. Look at the CULV laptops from Acer and ASUS. They have much more power than atom but still manage to get 6 or 7 hours of battery life! It makes little sense why atom lags so far behind.
@Streetfights - On a side note, can someone please tell me why ULV laptops suddenly disappeared?! Bring on the conspiracy theories!
ITS NO AN IPAD SO IT SUCKS RIGHT
*Knock knock*
Via? Are you home?
Why would one buy a netbook for the same price you could buy a full sized laptop?
@Jason B because some people don't want/need a full size laptop. My mom doesn't need dual core, discrete graphic card laptops for checking email and viewing her friend's facebook pages.
@Jason B
For many, a netbook is a secondary laptop. For others, portability and battery life are the most import aspects of a computer. Consider students who may have a desktop for any serious computing and a netbook that weighs next to nothing and can last several hours without a charge.
@Jason B
um.. so then they get to use the word netbook. So coolness goes up by 1000... that's until they use the name ASUS and then ppl are like "wtf is that?"
(P.S. I think ASUS makes some great reliable stuff)
@artstate
I have a 10" netbook from Asus when they were $249. I use it for work because it is ultra portable. I just question the pricing of netbooks as of late as they seem to be getting out of hand.
If all you are doing is basic stuff like reading email at home then why not go for something cheaper with a bigger screen? Walmart and Best Buy have some moderately good laptops for less than what this is selling for.
@jeff0529 This is exactly why I have a netbook. I take it to class to take notes and browse the net in between classes. I have a desktop at home for when I need real computing power. All I want is something light and portable with long battery life that doesn't burn my lap.
I imagine these chips will be powering this Fall's slate/tablet lineup.
I hope HP decides to use this for the Slate.
@furquanatique So do I, but I think it's quite IMPOSSIBLE.
@okh
How so? Its not like they rushed out their tablet, its still in development and hardware modifications can be made.
@furquanatique
Weird thats the first thought I had when I saw this article. I want a Slate but considering there's new Atoms coming about I think I'll hold off.
@furquanatique N series Atoms consume too much power for a device the size of the slate. Look for Z series branded Atoms in the HP slate and similar devices.
Rinse and repeat! Profit!
$575? Thats a full size laptop with dual core you idiots, what would be the point then?
@Caprice Dates
Maybe not everyone needs a powerful, heavy, full-size laptop that lasts 2 hours on a charge...
I paid 600 euros for my CULV sub-notebook, which weights less than 2kg and has 10 hours of battery life, and I'm happy.
@0110110101100100
I get your point but that price defeats the purpose price for the Netbook. Netbooks are suppose to be cheaper than its big brother the laptop.
@Caprice Dates
And I get your point.
But still I think that netbooks are expanding their market, and we're going to see different form factors (convertibles and tablets) and at least two segments: the lower closer to what we're used to call netbooks; the higher pretty close to CULV laptops but still less expensive and even lighter.
We need to know the specs, but 575$ might not necessarily be overpriced.
@Caprice Dates Because in the end, it's all about profits. Manufactures realize they cannot sustain a $200 netbook, thus we see upselling of netbooks being bigger and larger and more expensive.
Remember back when netbooks were supposed to be $200?
...yea me neither...
And to think, back in November of last year I spent $400 on a dual core CULV netbook that would likely run circles around this thing when it's eventually released.
Will the N500 support DDR3 RAM? If it's a re-branded D510 (which has basically no performance gain over the old 330), I kind of doubt it, but I hope so.
My thinking is that if you take the N500 and team it up with Ion 2 (w/ optimus), DDR3, 1366x768 and swap the drive for SSD, you could probably get the machine performing about as well as the Alienware m11x for a couple hundred bucks less. If you can't hit that kind of performance, you might as well buy the m11x or a real notebook. Today's netbooks are plenty adequate if all you want to do is check email and surf a bit, and a lot cheaper than $575.
Intel launching new processors? HA! Next they'll be telling us that bears shit in the woods.
I gave up on Atom machines. Yeah, they're cheap, but that's it. The performance is just ridiculously slow. Yeah, Windows 7 runs on it, and at first you were amazed, but then after using it for a while, it's still a slow computer.
Intel keeps releasing Atom processors which are only marginally better than the previous ones, while their mainstream processors are getting smaller and less power hungry. Atom was already old tech when it was released. It is basically the next generation of the P4, with a die shrink. It isn't getting any faster because that will kill its one benefit, power efficiency. The Atom will die when Intel produces a core processor on the 20nm node with a very small cache. Although they might just rename that processor as an Atom to keep the marketing people happy.
Why does every netbook post have multiple yahoos saying their full-size laptop has better performance?
@TangoPudding
I'd say it's because they want notebook power in a netbook package. Can you blame them? Seriously, who wouldn't want full-size notebook performance in a compact form factor with around ten hours of runtime? I'm sure Engadget will tell us when we get there. :)
@Kyzgar
Vaio Z, need I say more? Shamefully the Vaio Z is more than 2000 bucks
Note to netbook manufacturers:
When most people choose a netbook over a full-fledged notebook they do so because of two obvious advantages: cost and size. But there are many in that crowd who would be willing to pay a middle-of-the-road price for a premium netbook - that is, a scaled down, but solid and high-performance, notebook.
I don't own a netbook, and as long as they are made as cheap and flimsy as they are I never will. Cost is not as much a deciding factor for me as form, construction quality, and performance. I would happily pay around $1K for something between an Eee PC and a MacBook Pro 13". I hope netbook manufacturers start to acknowledge that corner of the market (which I happen to be on).
more asus netbooks? the last wave still aren't available yet.
I've never owned a netbook but for me the appeal of wanting to make my next computer a netbook when my current laptop I've been using for a few years dies is the form factor. A small 10" laptop would still be comfortable to type on but small enough and light enough to more easily take to class than a full size laptop that I have now.
And like many computer user the most CPU intensive thing I do is watch Flash videos on youtube a netbook is fine.
I do, however, own an SSD that is a huge performance booster. At this point adding an SSD to a netbook would add a lot to the price of a netbook but that will change in the future.
So I agree with @Coswyn and his post and @Kyzgar. I think by the end of the year or so when netbooks get DDR3, SSDs, USB3, Ion graphics and these dual core Atoms they'll be a pretty usable computer for the basic tasks of a student that I'll be doing.
Or as @Nitesh said, maybe Via can make something nice for us.