The chairman of Acer, the world's largest maker of netbooks, said that he did not expect Nokia Corp., the biggest supplier of cell phones, to become a serious player on the market of netbooks. Although mobile phone vendors can sell their devices via telecommuncation companies, PC makers can benefit from lower components costs because of high volumes, said JT Wang.

Mr. Wang said in an interview with DigiTimes web-site that Nokia would hardly become a noticeable name on the market of netbooks despite of its indisputable advantage: it has many long-term supply contracts with telecommunication companies. Acer Group, as well as other large PC vendors, would benefit from lower costs of hardware and less expensive manufacturing.

What is more interesting is that Mr. Wang believes that since "netbooks are attracting consumers to start using 3G services, PC vendors' partnerships with telecom providers will catch up to handset vendors within a year".

It should be noted that while PC makers have numerous benefits (including expertise in personal computers) when it comes to netbooks, mobile phone makers like Nokia are experts in mobile devices, ergonomics, design and so on, something that many netbooks lack.

The chairman of Acer also claims that with more vendors enter the netbook market, it will expand quicker.

Tags: Acer, Nokia