Freescale Android Netbook: $199 This Summer?

Chip maker Freescale thinks that the number of Netbooks sold in 2009 will double to 30 Million and they want a piece of the pie currently claimed by the likes of Intel, AMD and VIA. And it appears they’ve got an appetite for Android, possibly rolling out a $199 Android Netbook as early as this summer.

Glen Burchers, Marketing Director for Freescale, was quoted by Reuters as saying:

“Freescale believes netbooks built around its technology will be able to be made at a cost of about $100. Netbook prices currently start at about $200.”

He further pushed the $199 price point when asked what type of person would buy a netbook in economically difficult times:

“Nobody needs this stuff but they want it, everybody wants it. And at the price point of $199, it’s a great Christmas present or birthday present.”

One quick skimming of the article’s first paragraph puts all of the pieces together:

BARCELONA (Reuters) – Chip maker Freescale, which began making chips for small netbook laptop computers last month, plans to expand its offering to include chipsets for Google’s Android operating system by next quarter.

So there you have it… a Freescale Android Netbook for $199 This Summer is certainly a likely scenario! Unfortunately, that isn’t the entire story. The original article came from Reuters who corrected their initial publication, clarifying the title as “CORRECTED – MOBILE FAIR-Freescale aims to sell Android netbook chips in Q2” and offering the following explanation:

(Corrects headline to show company is selling the chipset for the Android netbooks, not the netbooks themselves)

The $199 is probably still on target but the Summer shipment could mean sales of the Android Netbook chips which would inevitably mean the actual Netbooks would come out AFTER the chips were signed, sealed and delivered. Could this still mean summer? Sure… but have that summer lemonade with a grain of salt instead of a packet of sugar. One thing is for sure… Android Netbooks with Freescale chips are going to come in 2009 at a ridiculously low price which is reason enough to be excited.

[Reuters via eWeek via OSNews – Thanks Rich!]