Consumer Behavior Report v9.

3/10

March 2008: Portable Laptop Trends

Overview

Report Highlights

58 percent of online respondents who own or use a laptop have a portable-style laptop –a
laptop that has a screen less than 15 inches, measured diagonally and weighs less than six
pounds.

88 percent of respondents say they would consider a portable-style laptop when purchasing a
new laptop, while 44 percent would travel more often with their laptop if it was a portable-
style.

Of the top 20 most popular laptops on PriceGrabber.com, 12 are portable-style laptops with
an average price point of $979.

Of the 62 percent of respondents who indicate that they have the same laptop for
work/school use and personal use, 76 percent spend up to six hours per week traveling to
and from home with their laptops.

PriceGrabber.com reveals that the Sony VAIO has the highest year-over-year traffic of the
most popular portable-style laptops on the market, between January 2007 and January 2008.

Notes from the Green: Americans are predicted to trash an average of 50 million computers
each year. If you’re planning on upgrading your laptop, then please consider sending your old
laptop to a certified recycling center.

What is the Consumer Behavior Report?

The Consumer Behavior Report is designed to give merchants, media and industry analysts
insight into shopping trends, pricing and market share. Each month, a different topic will be the
focus of the report.

What is the Portable Laptop Trends Report?

The portable laptop is the topic of PriceGrabber.com’s March 2008 Consumer Behavior Report.
Portable laptops trends and data were collected from a survey of 1,868 online consumers
conducted in February 2008. Additional data is sourced from Market Reporter, a statistical
database that tracks consumer shopping behavior on PriceGrabber.com. The Notes from the
Green section is compiled by Olivia Zaleski, an ecofriendly blogger for PriceGrabber.com’s
ShopGreen section. The focus of the ShopGreen section is to provide more than 20,000 products
to help consumers live a greener lifestyle. PriceGrabber.com is a major shopping comparison
engine, with more than 26 million unique users per month and up-to-date daily pricing of products
supplied by more than 12,000 sellers.
 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR REPORT
March 2008

Portable Laptop Trends

Online Consumer Trends

The majority of online consumers own or use a laptop. Of the 72 percent of respondents that
indicated they own or use a laptop, 58 percent own or use a portable-style laptop.
PriceGrabber.com has defined a portable-style laptop as having a screen less than 15
inches, measured diagonally and weighs less than six pounds.

Do you own or use a laptop? If yes, do you own or use a

portable laptop?

Yes, 72% *Portable

Laptop
58%
No, 28%
Standard
Laptop
42%

No, I do not ow n/use a laptop Yes, I ow n/use a laptop

58% ow n/use a PORTABLE laptop 42% ow n/use a STANDARD laptop

Source: PriceGrabber.com Portable Laptop Survey (2/13/08 – 2/22/08)

*Portable laptop is defined as less than 6 pounds and smaller than 15 inch screen

Forty-four percent of online consumers say they would travel more often with a laptop if it
were smaller and/or lighter. Twenty-two percent of consumers say they would not travel more
often if their laptop was smaller and/or lighter and the remaining 34 percent indicate they are
indifferent.

W ould you tra vel w ith your la ptop more if it w e re sma lle r
and/ or lighter?
60%

44%
40% 34%

22%
20%

0%
Yes No Indifferent

Source : PriceGrabber.com Portable Laptop Survey (2/13/08 – 2/22/08)

 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR REPORT
March 2008

Of the 62 percent of respondents who indicate that they have the same laptop for
work/school use and personal use, 76 percent spend up to six hours per week traveling to
and from home with their laptops.

Over the course of a year, portable laptop models have flooded the laptop market. A number
of manufacturers are introducing smaller and lighter, high-performance portable laptops, at
strategically adjusted prices. Of the top 20 most popular laptops on PriceGrabber.com, 12 are
portable-style laptops with an average price point of $979 (below).

Top 20 Laptops

Rank Laptops (ranked by m erchan t referral s) Avg Price Screen Size/Weight Launch Date
1 AsusEee PC 4G Surf Notebook $357 7” / 2 lbs Nov-07
2 Apple MacB ook Air Notebook $1,908 13.3" / 3 Llbs Jan-08
3 Apple MacB ook Pro Notebook $2,087 15.4" / 5. 4 lbs Jun-07
4 Sony VAIO V GN-FZ240E/B Notebook $1,221 14.1” / 5. 9 lbs Jan-08
5 Apple MacB ook Notebook $1,436 13.3" / 5 lbs Nov-07
6 Apple MacB ook Pro Notebook $1,731 15.4" / 5.4 lbs Jun-07
7 Toshiba Satellite U305-S2804 Notebook $869 13.3" / 4. 54 lbs Jan-08
8 HP Pavilion dv2740se Notebook $951 14.1” / 5. 25 lbs Jan-08
9 Apple MacB ook Pro Notebook $2,460 17" / 6.8 lbs Jun-07
10 HP F750US Notebook $618 14.1” / 5. 7 lbs Jan-08
11 Sony VAIO V GN-FZ340E/B Notebook $1,213 15.4" / 5. 9 lbs Jan-08
12 Asus Eee PC 2G Surf Notebook $302 7” / 2 lbs Jan-08
13 Toshiba Satellite A205-S5804 Notebook $614 15.4" / 6 lbs Jan-08
14 Sony VAIO V GN-CR320E/R Notebook $1,194 14.1” / 5. 49 lbs Jan-08
15 HP dv9750us Notebook $1,575 17" / 8 lbs Jan-08
16 Acer Aspire AS5315-2142 Notebook $524 15.4" / 6. 2 lbs Dec-07
17 Dell Latitude D600 Notebook $360 14.1” / 4. 6 lbs Jun-04
18 Apple MacB ook Notebook $1,410 13.3" / 5 lbs M ay-07
19 Sony VAIO V GN-NR220E/S Notebook $586 15.4" / 6. 2 lbs Jan-08
20 Sony VAIO V GN-CR220E/L Notebook $1,125 14.1” / 5. 59 lbs S ep-07
Source: Market Reporter PriceGrabber.com February 2008
Ranking based on referrals to merchants, 1/1/08 through 2/21/08
Launch Date refers to date product first appeared on PriceGrabber.com

Consumers are split between low-end and mid-range priced laptops. Of the 20 most popular
laptops on PriceGrabber.com, 45 percent are low-end laptops (under $1,000), with an
average price point of $576. Another 45 percent are mid price range laptops ($1,000-$2,000),
with an average price point of $1,424. Only 10 percent of the top 20 laptops fall within the
high-end price range (more than $2,000), with an average price point of $2,274.

Online consumers prefer to purchase mid-range to low-end laptops, similar to the price range
distribution of the 20 most popular laptops (above). Ninety-one percent of consumers are
looking to spend less than $2,000 for a new portable-style laptop, while nine percent
anticipate spending more than $2,000.
 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR REPORT
March 2008

When purchasing a new portable-style laptop, what

will be your target price range?
60%
50%

41%
40%

20%
9%

0%
High-end, m ore than Mid-range, $1000 - $2000 Low-end, les s than $1000
$2000

Source : PriceGrabber.com Portable Laptop Survey (2/13/08 – 2/22/08)

Consumers interested in the high-end price range make up a niche market for newer and
lighter portable-style laptops. Of the nine percent of consumers considering a target price
range of more than $2,000 for their next portable-style laptop purchase, 54 percent travel with
a portable laptop over six hours per week. The most important features for these on-the-go
consumers are performance (62%), battery life (11%) and weight (9%).

Consumers overall are looking at price and performance to make their decision to purchase a
portable-style laptop. Forty-six percent of consumers indicate performance as the most
important feature to consider when purchasing a portable-style laptop. Price is a distant
second.

What fe ature is most important whe n choosing a

portable -style mode l?

Weight 8%

Screen size 7%

Perf ormance 46%

Price 17%

Battery lif e 15%

Keyboard size/usability 7%

Source : PriceGrabber.com Portable Laptop Survey (2/13/08 – 2/22/08)

 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR REPORT
March 2008

PriceGrabber.com reveals that the Sony VAIO has the highest year-over-year traffic of the
most popular portable-style laptops on the market, between January 2007 and January 2008.
The Popular Portable Laptops graph below shows other portable-style laptops, including
Toshiba Satellite, Hewlett Packard Pavilion and Apple MacBook, which received a
considerable share of consumer traffic.

Popular Portable Laptops

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
7

7
7
7

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07
7
7

8
07

08
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Fe

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Acer Aspire Apple Macbook/Pro/Air Asus Eee
Dell Latitude Fujitsu Lifebook HP Pavilion
Lenovo Thinkpad Panasonic Toughbook Sony Vaio
Toshiba Portege/Satellite
Sour ce : PriceGrabber.com January 1, 2007- January 1, 2008 product page view s by month

In the Popular Portable Laptops graph above, January and February 2008 show the impact of
the Apple MacBook Air (pink) and the Asus Eee (yellow) product launches. The Asus Eee,
launched in early October 2007, had a 45 percent increase in traffic in January 2008, while
traffic to Sony VAIO and Dell Latitude decreased. In February 2008, after the Apple MacBook
Air launch in mid January, a surge in Apple traffic drove Lenovo ThinkPad and Sony VAIO
traffic down.

Future Laptop Trends

What does this mean for the future of laptops? As laptops become smaller, will
traditional sized laptops become obsolete? In a recent PriceGrabber.com survey, 44 percent
of online consumers say they would travel more often with their laptop if it was a portable-style.
Smaller laptops and devices are certainly more attractive to consumers, as long as the price and
performance are comparable.

Gartner states: By 2012, half of all workers will use devices other than their laptops when they
travel. Even though notebooks continue to shrink in size and weight, traveling workers lament the
weight and inconvenience of carrying them on their trips. Vendors are developing solutions to
address these concerns: new classes of Internet-centric pocketable devices at the sub-US$400
level; and server and Web-based applications that can be accessed from anywhere.
 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR REPORT
March 2008

Eighty-eight percent of respondents say they would consider a portable-style laptop when
purchasing a new laptop; however, performance and price play a significant part in their
decision to purchase.

If you were to buy a new laptop would you

consider a portable-style model?
12%

Yes

No
88%

Source : PriceGrabber.com Portable Laptop Survey (2/13/08 – 2/22/08)

In a recent survey, consumers indicate Dell, Apple and Sony as their top three preferred
brands when looking to purchase a portable-style laptop.

W hich portable-style laptop bra nd do you pre fer to purchase ?

40%
36%

20% 17%
14%
12% 12%

5%
2% 17% 1%
0%
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us

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ng
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ib

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su
no
Ap

sh
Fu

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To
Sa

Source : PriceGrabber.com 2007-2008 product page view s by month

 CONSUMER BEHAVIOR REPORT
March 2008

Notes from the Green: Recycle your old laptop before upgrading
As technology trends to superlatives—faster, smarter, cheaper, better—upgrading has never
been easier. Yet, every time we purchase a brand new computer we’re likely tossing out our old
one, even if it works just fine.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans are predicted to
trash an average of 50 million computers each year. Composed of precious metals, glass and
plastics, cast-off computers present not only a severe environmental squandering, but also
dangerous and often irreversible health hazards. The majority of laptops contain precious natural
resources such as heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury—even arsenic). These metals, for
example, could be reused to make new consumer electronics, a process that would essentially
eliminate the need to mine, produce and refine raw materials, further limiting energy and carbon
expenditures. Yet, considering less than one quarter of Americans recycle their obsolete
electronics, the above precious resources most often end up sitting in landfills for hundreds—
sometimes even thousands—of years.

Festering in the intense heat and pressure of a heavy landfill, discarded computers can become
especially dangerous to the environment and our health. As they slowly break down they emit the
above heavy metals. Some off-gas into the air, others leech into surrounding soil and
groundwater.

If you’re planning on upgrading your laptop (and who could resist with the latest portable laptop
trends?), then please consider sending your old laptop to a certified recycling center. Visit
mygreenelectronics.org to find a recycling center near you.

Disclaimer
The data, market trends and analysis in this report were prepared by PriceGrabber.com. The
primary data included in this report are results from the Portable-style Laptop Trends Survey and
Market Reporter. The survey was conducted from February 13, 2008 to February 21, 2008, with
1,868 respondents. The Notes from the Green is compiled by Olivia Zaleski, expert green
consultant and PriceGrabber.com blogger. The confidence interval for all results is 95 percent
with a margin error of approximately +/-3 percentage points for the entire sample.

This report may not be reproduced, distributed or published by any person for any purpose
without PriceGrabber.com’s prior written consent. Please cite source when quoting.

Source: PriceGrabber.com

For media inquiries, to schedule phone interviews, or for journalists who would like to request
additional data and/or a custom survey for their needs, please contact Carolyn Chiang by phone
at (415) 365-0397 or by email at Carolyn.Chiang@bitepr.com.