The Life of a Netbook; Short and Sweet

[Hooch Tan]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.windowsfordevices.com/c/a/News/DigiTimes-report-on-netbook-plans/' target='_blank'>http://www.windowsfordevices.com/c/...-netbook-plans/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Quoting unnamed sources from netbook manufacturers, DigiTimes reported yesterday that HP and Dell -- the world's number one and number three PC manufacturers -- are scaling back production due to disappointing sales of new netbooks powered by Intel&rsquo;s new Atom N450 "Pineview" processor. (The story was posted on April 1 report, but the pretty-much-all-business DigiTimes has never been known for its practical jokes.)"</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1270273736.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 0px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>It seems like only yesterday that I heard about the original ASUS eee netbook.&nbsp; A liliputian 7" micro-laptop that was designed for light duty, portability and a really low price point.&nbsp; Since then, the netbook has changed dramatically as manufacturers tried hard to figure out what consumers wanted.&nbsp; Now, there is news that HP and Dell are not selling them as well as one would like.&nbsp; There could be a lot of reasons for this; saturation of the market, nothing exciting about the new netbooks, other alternatives such as smart phones and slate tablets.&nbsp; I honestly think that even if the netbook disappears, it has done a fair bit to invigorate the market.&nbsp; Since the netbook, we have seen much more experimentation and as much as I hate change, I consider this to be a good thing.&nbsp; Hopefully, the momentum will keep up and we will see more changes.</p>

[randalllewis]

Netbooks have always had a tenuous life. They were created from a consumer desire for a very inexpensive computing device. There was probably always a limited market for the real deal- those first and second generation machines with their 8, 9 or 10 inch screens. Manufacturers didn't care much for the machines because of the limited profit margins, and as more and more consumers tried them out, netbooks quickly reached their market limits.

I was interested in one. The size, weight and real keyboard were attractions. Using XP again was acceptable but not a selling point. I sold my netbook in a matter of months though. Being able to surf the web with a computer-like device, but not being able to really experience the web like I expect became an increasing turnoff. Just working on e-mail and reading the web quickly became a very unsatisfying experience.

Smart manufacturers recognized this and netbooks became more and more capable. But the profit margin problems remains. That is why we see netbooks bundled with other devices now. There are even regular notebooks bundled with netbooks.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the netbook category remain, but for the number of models and manufacturers to drop.

And I firmly believe the emergence of the netbook market was a critical factor in green lighting the Apple iPad. So the humble netbook will always have a place in PC history.

[crimsonsky]

I am posting this reply from my HP Mini 210. I primarily use Macs, but I wanted something lighter and smaller than my Macbook to use on the go. Quite frankly, as long as one understands the limits & capabilities of a netbook, they are quite useful. (Oh, and bump the RAM up to 2 gigs). They are perfect for lightweight on-the-go usage and I greatly appreciate it for this reason.

I'll probably get an iPad eventually, but there are still some things a netbook can do that the iPad can't. Greater storage capacity and the ability to connect to local network resources are two things that immediately come to mind and things that I do rely on my netbook for. (Of course, I wouldn't have needed a netbook if Apple had ever come up with a true successor to the 12 inch Powerbook, but that's another story!)

[Reid Kistler]

Since then, the netbook has changed dramatically as manufacturers tried hard to figure out what consumers wanted. Now, there is news that HP and Dell are not selling them as well as one would like.

Alas, what consumers want is a light, thin, INEXPENSIVE Notebook - with a comfortable keyboard & touchpad, and a "full-sized" screen!

One of our daughters was looking at a Netbook, but we strongly encouraged her to purchase a low-end Notebook instead: the cost is only slightly higher (and sometimes actually lower) for a 15.6" bargain notebook, and you end up with a more competent machine (although admittedly one that is larger & heavier).

We have enjoyed our Dell Mini 10v - but it only cost $120 or so (with a high capacity battery), and the screen resolution is still a constant source of irritation as it calls for nearly constant scrolling....

[David Tucker]

I had my Dell Mini 9 for about a year and a half before it met an unfortunate end recently due to my clumsiness with an icepack. I loved it when I had it but I have no intention of going that route again. When netbooks appeared...there was no really affordable light weight laptops. That's not true anymore with many sub 5lb notebooks available for under $1000. And they're good laptops too.

They filled an actual market hole when they were conceived. The need they filled is just getting filled by more powerful machines (at reasonable prices)