We remember it like it was yesterday -- pressed against the edge of our seat, speakerphone on 11,
listening to Qualcomm preach about how these so-called "
smartbooks" were coming to take over the world. Can't fault 'em for trying. A little over a year after the (admittedly valiant) effort began, Qualcomm's CEO is effectively putting this whole nightmare behind him. According to
Slashgear, Paul Jacobs admitted during an event this morning that "tablets such as the iPad had already occupied the niche his company expected smartbooks to." Essentially, the
iPad delivered on the concept of an "always-on, all-day device" long before smartbooks ever had a chance at gaining traction, and judging by the fact that only a
handful of
these guys ever
made it to market, we'd say that brutally honest assessment makes a lot of sense. We aren't necessarily better off for it, mind you, but it definitely seems that the resurgence of the tablet (and the proliferation of the longevous
netbook) has extinguished any hope of smartbooks dominating the world. Hey, at least this guy's man enough to know when a journey's reached its end. Sayonara, smarties.
