Are Netbooks pointless or is it just me?

[PlaceofDis]

i love my netbook.

the small and light factors are the whole point of it. basically why would i want to carry around a $1k+ laptop with me wherever i go and risk it falling, being stolen, or damaged in some other manner, this way i have a small light, and due to do moving parts and a pretty sturdy shell - pretty impervious small companion, and even better is the low cost should anything happen to it.

i do run OS X on it though, just because i'm more productive with Leopard than i am in Windows and it works flawlessly with light usage - web, chat, word, movie watching etc.

 

[niuniu]

As my business is growing I'm increasingly in the need for a netbook. The iPhone just isn't cutting it when I'm out of office - too slow and the screen is too small.

 

[munkees]

For me to see a netbook as a device worth while it needs to be

- small enough and thin,
- have apps written for it, nothing worse than a small device trying to run desktop apps, it sucks. Apps better than iPhone but dedicated.
- the ability to do lite movie editing, iphoto, iWeb
- ichat, email, mms.
- mail and full safari including support for future html 5 web apps.
- the ability to connect to a projector
- iTunes type app, for watching iTunes content.
- sd card support, so content from cameras and other devices can be downloaded.
-lite keynotes, pages and numbers.
-would like to see GPS and compass.

I can see a device from apple that is less that a macbook but more than an iPhone with a dedicated interface like the iPhone, with app store. This would require an SDK that developers could use to port there iPhone apps (basically just allowing them to redo the interface).

the other netbooks, I have seen suck, the reason being, they are running windows, with desktop apps, just looks bad.

I think apple could make a great device. it is kind of an eMac.

This device is not designed to replace MB/MBP extra, it marketed at a different market. I could see it being perfect for schools

 

[chuckyeager]

I'm on a netbook right now.... limited space where I am sitting. I love my netbook.

 

[jbernie]

I prefer a laptop to a netbook, that being said when I got my latest laptop I paid extra for low weight & smaller form factor, but I wanted more than a netbook could offer. Basically not a desktop a replacement but about 70-75% of the way there.

I can see value in using & owning one, smaller, lighter, generally cheaper. The iPhone & iPod Touch are both ok if you need to send a short quick email but they won't fly as a full time email device. netbooks give you that much more usefulness withought necessarily the burden of a full laptop.

For the non uber geeks in the world, who purchase the device understanding the limitations it is quite viable, but web mail, web surfing, IM and maybe a bit more is all you are going to do.

 

[thepawn]

I want a netbook for my entertainment room so I can randomly surf while watching TV... I don't need a full fledged laptop, I want it to be small and only need it to surf the internet well, and I can get that for $199.

At the moment, I still have my Nokia 810MID, but I'm going to sell it and pick up a netbook instead.

One of the things I do quite often is look up songs I heard on a TV show I want to go download or IM friends.

 

[Heb1228]

To the OP,
You're not pointless, don't be so hard on yourself. But yes, netbooks are.

 

[JackSYi]

When the Apple netbook rumors were floating around, I convinced myself that I would most definitely get one, and I would carry it everywhere. But after upgrading to the iPhone 3G S and discovering how much more useful it was because of the speed, I don't think that I would actually want a netbook. But then again, who knows what I might think if Apple developed one.

 

[LizKat]

I think netbooks are stupid. Severely underpowered, tinyass screen, and cheaply built. For this reason, I have a 12" Powerbook as my "subcompact" notebook. Full blown laptop in a small (but not too small) package.

Yep.. even though I love my MBA for its feathery weight, I will be seriously unhappy when I no longer have a functional 12" G4 powerbook. There is just something perfect about that footprint for a laptop. I tell myself the MBA and eventually a 13" MBP will be fine but I might as well be talking to the wall because I'm not ready to listen.

Anyway netbooks make no sense to me. I guess there could be situations where cost issues and very light requirements could point someone in that direction, but I'm not that customer.

 

[SFStateStudent]

I'm pickin' up two of those MacTablets when they come out in 2010.....

 

[PracticalMac]

At some NetBooks <$200, they are practically disposable.
It's cheaper then iPod Touch!

I think netbooks are very good for kids. I know a lot of younger kids get laptops from their parents, when a smaller screen and keyboard and lower specs would be just as good if not better.

Above is a very good reason why, and even pros like me would not mind something so light they could even use it on the toilet!

Apple better get one out fast, becuase cheap computer will sell a lot more then expensive ones.

 

[thepawn]

Netbooks are not pointless to me, because in other areas around my house or going out, I would love to have a CHEAP (<$300) solid-state based disk tablet internet device with a decent color (preferably touch) color screen of at least 8" for me to access the net wherever/whenever I wanted and last 6-8hrs on battery.

Show me a laptop that meets that requirement. There are laptops that are that small, but the bloat of a "full OS" and all on them make them slow and usually only last 3 hours on a battery while costing $850.

 

[djellison]

I really don't understand why anyone would shell out any money for a netbook.

No - what you're confusing here is your own requirements and expectations with someone elses.

I have a UBMB. Love it.

I also have a Samsung NC10 Netbook. My other half has it right now - she's on holiday. NO other laptop would have got in her luggage. It's got an SD card reader to get the pictures off. It's got WiFi to find holiday info. It's got a webcam and mic so it does Skype.

It's everything you need to do basic travel computing - with EPIC battery life, and to be honest, the screen (small though it is) is better quality than my UBMD - brighter, better viewing angle, not glossy.

All in all - just because YOU don't see the point, it doesn't mean NOBODY sees the point.

 

[Michael CM1]

I think they're kinda pointless. Best Buy advertised an HP with a 15.6" screen and way more power than any netbook for $399. Unless that thing is too heavy for you (probably 7 pounds), a netbook is a waste of money. The resolution probably isn't that great on such a cheap computer, but I'm wagering that it's at least the 1280x800 that Apple has on the 13.3".

I personally wouldn't buy the $400 HP after my experience with their computers, but obviously many people like them (or are suckered in). I've just found that the more you spend on a computer, the more you'll usually like it and the fewer problems you'll have. I've had my MBP for more than 2 years with MINIMAL problems. I mean minimal. I needed the battery replaced, which was part of a recall. A USB port was giving me issues, but now I think it's fine. Yeah, you should expect that from a $2000 computer, but it's just so damn hassle-free.

 

[Shadow]

I dont know about everybody else, but whenever I've used a netbook, the keyboard seems prohibitively small to use for any extended period of time, especially for the type of things that I do like programming and web dev. For people who just use a computer to browse and check email and can live with a small screen, they're pretty much perfect. Those tasks only require the amount of power that a netbook has anyway (and to be honest, you could get away with less power for them, if only the operating systems were less resource-heavy).

 

[MTI]

Hmm, where to start.

As said before, the majority of things typically done with most personal computers (web, e-mail) can be done by netbooks. Not everyone edits HD video or needs to have a dozen apps open at once.

You can actually use it, either to work or watch movies (USB or SD mem), on an airline seatback tray table in coach.

My Dell Mini, running Leopard costs . . . lets see . . . about 1/3rd the price of the smallest Apple laptop, and already had an SD memory slot.

 

[TwoBytes]

my netbook is great for taking notes at meetings, watching films in bed. throwing in the backpack for a weekend away not worrying that you've spent £$£$£ on your true apple baby

wouldn't use it as a main workhorse though. I couldn't use my iphone for meetings.

 

[FX120]

I think they're kinda pointless. Best Buy advertised an HP with a 15.6" screen and way more power than any netbook for $399. Unless that thing is too heavy for you (probably 7 pounds), a netbook is a waste of money. The resolution probably isn't that great on such a cheap computer, but I'm wagering that it's at least the 1280x800 that Apple has on the 13.3".

I personally wouldn't buy the $400 HP after my experience with their computers, but obviously many people like them (or are suckered in). I've just found that the more you spend on a computer, the more you'll usually like it and the fewer problems you'll have. I've had my MBP for more than 2 years with MINIMAL problems. I mean minimal. I needed the battery replaced, which was part of a recall. A USB port was giving me issues, but now I think it's fine. Yeah, you should expect that from a $2000 computer, but it's just so damn hassle-free.

But the HP is a 15.6" screen, not a 10" screen. It probably also weighs closer to 6lbs instead of the 2-3lbs your average netbook weighs as you noted. Keep in mind that netbooks were *never* meant to be primary computers.

Come on people, is it really that hard to understand? They're meant to be portable, lightweight, fast-enough-to-run-a-browser-and-your-email quick, and cheap. Sure the keyboard is small, but again this isn't the sort of device you should be writing a novel on while sitting in a starbucks.

 

[0098386]

I would have loved a Netbook for university. I did all my work at home but still needed to write short bits and pieces, so I had to bus it for an hour and then walk from one city to another with a 12" Powerbook in my bag. Not great really.

They're not pointless. They just have different uses. I think of them as oversized PDA's that aren't for everyone. There isn't one I'd get though. I'm not happy with the design of most of them. I like that they're cheap - I do not like that they look cheap.

 

[GroovyLinuxGuy]

I have a Acer Aspire One netbook running Fedora 11. Perfect computer for hacking perl/python with vi. I can take it anywhere and not worry about it too much. It fits perfectly in the carrier of my scooter (can't do that with my 15" MBP), and with a SSD i don't have to worry about bumps/potholes in the road messing up my hard drive (i've lost one drive already on my HP laptop due to this). I bought my netbook for my commutes to work and hanging out at the coffee shop while I work. With a ssh connection over a vpn I can log into my workstation and have all the power i need to do what I want. Not to mention it's a great place to collect my stickers...hehe.

I lent it out to my gal when she went to Europe because she didn't want to have to carry her MBP and risk it getting lost/stolen.

So, yeah, your just missing the point of it. It's a convenience.

 

[clevin]

its just you.

 

[Heilage]

I think the 10" ones have their uses. Anything smaller than that, no. But they still suffer by Microsoft's cap on RAM.

Hopefully, we can see some 10" ones with ION-chipsets and higher RAM capabilities. That would be nice. Also, if I could get some better resolutions on the screens I'd be very happy.

Until then I refuse to leave my UBMB behind. It's a great machine, with close to perfect size.

 

[dmr727]

I bought a netbook for my wife, and she loves it. She also has a unibody Macbook as her primary computer at home. Her netbook is small enough to throw into her purse, and since the TSA thinks it's a DVD player, she doesn't have to take it out when going through security.

She'll take the Mac for longer trips, but for short trips where she just plans on using a browser here and there, the netbook is perfect.

 

[Fuchal]

I think netbooks are stupid. Severely underpowered, tinyass screen, and cheaply built. For this reason, I have a 12" Powerbook as my "subcompact" notebook. Full blown laptop in a small (but not too small) package.

As much as I loved the two 12" Powerbooks I had, I would hardly call it "full blown" at this point in time. My Dell Mini 9 smokes it in OS X performance and it even runs Photoshop quicker than the Powerbook.

 

[question fear]

I would have loved a Netbook for university. I did all my work at home but still needed to write short bits and pieces, so I had to bus it for an hour and then walk from one city to another with a 12" Powerbook in my bag. Not great really.

They're not pointless. They just have different uses. I think of them as oversized PDA's that aren't for everyone. There isn't one I'd get though. I'm not happy with the design of most of them. I like that they're cheap - I do not like that they look cheap.

Good way to view them...

I love my toshiba netbook...9+hrs of battery life, and it tethers incredibly easily to my Nokia phone. So while I use my macbook for "heavy lifting" like ripping movies and editing home video, the Toshiba handles the basic stuff, browsing, email, IM etc just fine. And from hibernate it's up and running in ~25 seconds, so with wifi nearby I'm set in no time...add another 30 seconds to get the Nokia tethering going if need be, and I can get work done anywhere.