I’ve been following netbooks and their progression of lack thereof since their inception a couple years ago. My theory is pretty logical in my mind.

Intel create Atom, which in turn created the netbook computer. The low cost and portability struck a chord with the public and you have what is now the netbook computer segment of the market. One problem. Well one really big problem.

Intel created a big problem for their buddies like Dell, HP and other big name laptop makers. The issue is profit. See, netbooks don’t offer great profits for the manufacturers. The netbook steals away their customers who were forced to buy bigger, heavier and yes, more expensive laptops.

In my theory, Intel realized their boo boo. As a quick action, they have the ULV processors which create the ultra thin laptops which in theory should offer the big boys better profits and steal away some of the netbook buyers. When Intel has no real competition they can pretty much dictate the pace of the processors and the speeds at which they run.

See, I’ve had the theory that the netbook can actually do a lot more if it weren’t for the conflict of interest involved. The past year has seen a steady stream of vanilla netbooks coming to market. There is no way that you could convince me that the Atom processor upgrades up until now couldn’t have involved getting more speed. Intel has essentially stunted the natural growth of the Atom processor.

In a perfect world, the ULV would be the Atom. That way the big boys profit and the public doesn’t even know about this cheaper alternative Atom processor. But because we are where we are, the Atom has only improved on battery life which is great, to a point. The degree of Atom processor speed improvements over the past year has been rather curious to me.

Aha. Then Intel comes along and announces a couple months ago that you can expect to see dual core Atom netbooks in the fourth quarter of 2010. Great news. I write this now because netbook announcements have been few and far between lately. My theory is pretty simple.

Dual core netbooks are going to be the new netbook standard. In other words, when there are single core Atom netbooks selling at the same time as the dual core netbooks, which do you think is going to sell more? Perhaps there is a gag order out there so that the announcement don’t cause the public to wait out for the next wave of dual core netbooks.

So to summarize, Intel is creating a monster. It’s the netbook monster in fact. A faster or more capable netbook will become an even better choice than the ULV laptops which were brought in to compete with netbooks. So is Intel admitting the ULV failure? Perhaps. It’s also possible that the recent AMD netbooks and 11 inch laptops are causing Intel to make a move forward.

I’ve always believed that the netbook is only being held back for political reasons. Once we get 8 hours from a netbook I suggest we all would prefer to be getting speed improvements in future processor upgrades. Should a netbook NOT be able to play games or watch HD video? Of course we would want that from a netbook. It’s technology. The only limit is the ones that are created. I know Intel has the brain power to do it. They just have to allow it to happen.