Is The BlackBerry Storm A Netbook?

The Co-CEO of Research in Motion, Mike Lazaridis, was recently interviewed about netbooks and BlackBerrys.

In the discussion he firmly stated that he doesn’t see netbooks as competition to netbooks. In fact, he sees the BlackBerry Storm as a netbook, “just smaller.”

This interesting comparison may raise the eyebrows of a few, but Lazaridis was firm in his convictions.

“The second thing that’s happening with smart phones is that it’s subsuming more of the other features around it like, an MP3 player. It’s a personal navigation device and it does a lot of what your laptop would do. I think what’s really driving it is sector substitution and this expands the capacity of computing, but the one thing that stays is the one that’s got the radio because you need the radio for your cellular. You need something to talk and move packets on. I think that’s what really driving the sector is substitution and the subsuming and interfacing of other things.”

The question remains open, but Lazaridis’ thoughts shed light on the changing face of the consumer electronics industry caused by mini-devices and netbooks alike.

Be sure to check out the rest of the interview for discussion of Asian markets, fuel cells, and more.

Via IntoMobile.