BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

The Netbook Is Dead, Long Live The Netbook

Following
This article is more than 10 years old.

Eee PC 901 (Photo credit: yoppy)

The netbook is dead, we've moved on, the great hope for the computer manufacturers are no more. The netbook is an ex-netbook (Charles Arthur, The Guardian, and others). But hold on a minute, just because the exact models from Acer and Asus are no longer being manufactured does not mean that the netbook concept is dead.

The form function of the little laptops with screens between nine and eleven inches is still a wonderful one for the traveller. When you're looking for something to throw into carry on, to let you pick up email, do some writing, and some light web browsing the netbook was one of the answers for the last few years.

Arguably that function has been picked up now by the smartphones with screens in the five inch mark, and the addition of a bluetooth keyboard completes the look of a netbook. And if you want proof that the form factor was the right one, the proliferation of iPad cases with built in physical keyboards should answer that question.

Netbooks missed the boat in performance, The idea that lower specification devices would be attractive made some sense, but in reality people were always looking to do more with their netbooks, and as the opinion formers in 'Web 2.0' realised the limitations of the platform, they moved on to the £600 phones instead of £175 laptops.

Mainstream technology evolved away from the core function of the netbook, but there are still uses for the netbook. I remember having a netbook, but it was taken away from me by my daughters once they discovered Moshi Monsters. It was either sacrifice the netbook or have them on my work laptop throughout the day as they do whatever they do on the UK-based online world of pet monsters.

For their needs, the netbook is perfect. It runs all the Flash apps they need, it's good for writing up school essays, researching for homework, and sending email to relatives. And they get to have their own computers. At some point they'll graduate to larger processors, bigger screens, and something that is appropriate for their needs as they grow up.

The promise of the netbook was fulfilled, but not by the intended market. Technology moves on, but even those ideas that are being rejected by the mainstream have a place and can make huge contributions.

The netbook is dead. Long live the tech that acts a lot like a netbook in everything but name.