MSI Wind: Lost Opportunity
August 27, 2008 - Tom Greer
Filed Under MSI Wind Netbook, Netbook Market |
MSI has not been able to fill the channel with Wind Netbooks. From the much-delayed USA launch date in early July, retailers across the country have constantly been out of stock. While it is possible that this is due to the overwhelming popularity of the Wind, my perception suggests a different cause.
Back in early July, the MSI marketing team did a wonderful job of creating pre-launch excitement for the Wind Netbook. In fact, in my July 3 article titled “The Real Buzz Is All About the MSI Wind” I noted that the hit rate on my MSI Wind articles was running about 10:1 compared to my Eee PC posts.
The Wind won rave reviews from many writers. It looked to be a real Eee PC killer.
By the end of July the buzz was gone. In my article ” Will MSI Miss the Window of Opportunity?” I noted that during the month, Acer had filled retailer shelves with Aspire Ones and Asus had introduced five or six new Eee PC models. No one seemed to care that they still could not find a Wind Netbook to buy.
Earlier this month, we launched our Netbook Price Comparison Guide. In the guide, we not only compare prices from many retailers, but we also note whether they have the product in stock. For the Wind Netbook, not one of our 20+ retailers had a single unit in stock.
So I started hunting. I searched for any retailers, big or small, who showed a Wind Netbook in stock. When I found one, I called them to verify. I published the results in my post “MSI Wind Availability“.
I thought that my readers, desperate for a Wind Netbook, would read the article and flock in droves to devour the units I had located. I was wrong.
This post was one of my most lightly read articles. A grand total of eight people viewed the article on the day it was published. One more person read it the following day.
These facts suggest to me that, for whatever reason, MSI has failed to produce a reasonable quantity for delivery to U.S. customers.
Now it no longer matters. The market is now abuzz in anticipation of Dell’s first netbook. Next month, it will be Lenovo’s turn. HP will probably launch an Atom-based netbook before long. And, of course, Asus will announce another ten or so netbooks (some labeled Eee PC and some not).
At some point, MSI will actually fill the pipeline. But the Wind’s marketshare will never be anything significant.
What a shame, it could have been much different.
Will MSI Miss the Window of Opportunity?Eee PC vs. MSI Wind vs. Aspire OneThe Real Buzz Is All About the MSI WindMSI Wind In Stock at AmazonMSI Wind AvailabilityComments
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