iPad To Overtake Netbook By 2012?

[Michael Knutson]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.macworld.com/article/152927/2010/07/ipad_netbooks.html?lsrc=rss_weblogs_iphonecentral' target='_blank'>http://www.macworld.com/article/152...s_iphonecentral</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"With its iPad capturing 6 percent of the portable PC segment in the second quarter of 2010, Apple will continue to lead the media tablet market through at least 2011, largely because of the lack of innovation in the netbook market."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1280204998.usr17748.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>Other than the occasional&nbsp;incremental improvement, there hasn't been anything really new in netbooks in quite some time. Battery life has gotten a bit better, processors have gotten stronger, XP is nearly gone, and netbook screen size is creeping slowly up and away from that awful 1024x600 standard. More and more vendors are testing the waters with 11" and larger screens. While, in my opinion, the iPad is far and away the better experience for <strong>consuming</strong> content, the netbook still leads in its&nbsp;ability for <strong>creating</strong> content. Seems to me that there will be a demand for both until content creation catches up on the iPad. Do any of you really see netbooks surviving long term? What about "other" tablets?</p>

[crimsonsky]

I think the real key to netbook survival will be using something other than Windows on them. My HP Mini 210 even when it was running Win7 starter is a mediocre performer. But now I'm dual-booting with Jolicloud and the difference in performance is nothing short of stunning. You can get decent performance from a netbook with the right OS and I don't think Windows is that OS. The only reason I haven't removed Win7 from my netbook is the need for a single program that won't run under Wine in Jolicloud. But Jolicloud really makes my netbook an awesome performer.

And for all the wonderfulness of the iPad, it's still expensive compared to netbooks and content creation is an Achilles heel, although I suspect it'll be less so as the platform evolves. But given the choice of a $300 netbook running Jolicloud or the $500 iPad - well, I've already made my choice!

[The Yaz]

I think the comparisons are skewed until other, and possibly more powerful tablets become mainstream. Still, the lack of a dedicated keyboard may always be a disadvantage for the tablets and why a laptop/netbook format may exist in some fashion.

I agree that there is a big difference between a consumption device and a creation device. That's why I had no problem buying a netbook for my daughter and she bought herself an iPod Touch. The netbook is for schoolwork and the Touch is for entertainment on the bus or at lunch w/ friends.

What I'm excited about is the Dell Streak. I've been wanting to get either the iPhone or the iPad, but the Streak is tempting as well. The question will be if the 5" screen will be enough to make the iPad's 9.6" screen redundant so I do not need a second cosumption device.

Steve :cool:

[Sven Johannsen]

Yea, and? Ipads are selling well and netbooks aren't. True enough, but I don't think they are inextricably related facts. They are two different items in a similar space. It would be like headlining, mountain bikes to overtake road bikes. Yes they are similar, and in a pinch or some instances they can substitute for each other. Each have strengths that make them the right choice for some and not for others. Some, like I, see a use for both. Another reality is that the iPad is a new device, while the netbook is just a variant of a device that has been around for a long time. Lots of folks that already have laptops, could very well believe they need an iPad before they need a smaller version of something they already have. (OK, there have been tablet PCs before, but there has been nothing with the size and weight, and battery life the iPad enjoys...at the expense of being a 'phone' OS....not a full OS like Windows or MAC OS). I just don't think you can make the leap that there were scads of folks just about to buy a netbook...and they bought an iPad instead.

[Brad Adrian]

It's the lack of a large internal storage capability which I think will prolong the life of netbooks and/or notebooks. the iPad's 64GB is a fair amount, but it is by no means even close to what I have on my notebook hard drive. Granted, I don't need all of those files on any given day, but I DO need to have them all in one place when I DO need them.

More and more iPad users are becoming comfortable with "in the cloud" storage and access systems, but IMO until utilization of such systems becomes ubiquitous, there will always be a need for the convenience and familiarity of having everything right under your fingertips, as with a netbook/or notebook.

BTW, I do have a neat setup by which a 1.5TB backup drive is connected to my home network and is accessible by me anywhere in the world via the PogoPlug service, even using my iPhone [I can, for example, find a specific report to give to a recruiter during an out-of-town job interview simply using my iPhone.]. It always works seamlessly, flawlessly and smoothly. If cloud storage were always THAT smooth, I'd probably temper some of my skepticism about the need for more traditional storage and access.