Netbooks make people look ridiculous.

[coupdetat]

I know why Apple doesn't want to make netbooks now--they make their users look goofy! I've never seen people using them at my campus until today. There was a girl in the dining hall using an Aspire One and she looked absolutely ridiculous hunched over the tiny computer trying to peck out an email. Right now, there's a guy sitting at a table across from me at the library using an Eee.. and he also looks totally nuts, like he's using a little toy.

Why would you use such a small thing just to save a couple pounds of weight? I mean, it might be useful to throw in a purse/man-bag, but that just seems like such a niche usage.

 

[PlaceofDis]

oh yay! another thread where people can't understand the need/want for something just because it might not be right for them.

netbooks do fill a niche, is it a niche that is a growing trend? quite possibly since more and more of your everyday computer users are finding that the do not need more power in their machines, nor do they need to have something huge, but would rather have something small, light, and just powerful enough to fill out the everyday tasks. is there room for improvement? certainly.

my netbook (dell mini9) is great for what i need on the go. i need basic functions that the Intel Atom processor and 2gigs (only at 1gig right now mind you) can fulfill without a problem. email - web - wordprocessing - chat. the keyboard might be cramped for some, but you adjust to it. some people always peck away so i suppose thats just they're typing style. and the screen size is certainly usable and fine for those tasks. spaces and expose really shine on a screen this small, i must say.

now i don't expect apple to release once since it is a niche right now, and i don't expect the machines to be perfect for everyone. but, hey, diversity is a great thing.

 

[BigHungry04]

Maybe people only need a computer for browsing the internet and sending and receiving e-mail, and instead of spending over $1000 on a laptop, they can get a $400 or less netbook that does everything they need it to do. It doesn't matter if it makes them look goofy.

 

[coupdetat]

oh yay! another thread where people can't understand the need/want for something just because it might not be right for them.

Actually, I own a MBA... I think I am pretty good at wrapping my mind around ideas that others might not accept. Imagine all the crap I hear from people about it "doesn't have a CD drive, blah blah blah"!

I can't wrap my mind around the idea that there's such a huge market demand for tiny netbooks. It seems like all hype and subpar products, really. I think Steve Jobs is right in this case: netbooks don't offer a good enough experience to be worthwhile. Too many aesthetic and functional problems IMO.

Plus, I want to look good/pretentious in public. Not like I'm using an enlarged Game Boy

 

[PlaceofDis]

Actually, I own a MBA... I think I am pretty good at wrapping my mind around ideas that others might not accept. Imagine all the crap I hear from people about it "doesn't have a CD drive, blah blah blah"!

I can't wrap my mind around the idea that there's such a huge market demand for tiny netbooks. It seems like all hype and subpar products, really. I think Steve Jobs is right in this case: netbooks don't offer a good enough experience to be worthwhile. Too many aesthetic and functional problems IMO.

Plus, I want to look good/pretentious in public. Not like I'm using an enlarged Game Boy

well obviously netbooks work for quite a few people considering that they sell pretty well. and the MBA would probably be more accepted if its price tag wasn't so high for what you get.

aesthetics are a personal choice. i think my dell looks just fine, also part of the reason i got it was that it had better build quality than the other choices - even with the lack of hard drive space.

how are they subpar products if they fill out a user's needs though? i have no functional problems with mine at all.

 

[coupdetat]

This study has been making some waves. ArsTechnica did a pretty in-depth analysis and commentary, too.

http://www.biz360.com/articles/digitaltrends012009.aspx

I tend to agree with it. Although most techie websites' commentary rejects their conclusion, I think regular people with regular jobs might not be all that impressed with netbooks.

I find them to be subpar because of the weird keyboard layouts, ugly designs, gross trackpads, and Intel's protectionist restrictions. Also, Windows XP has really outdated networking which hinders its reliance on the "cloud".

 

[Winni]

Have you ever thought about why people actually talk about the MacBook Air -not- having a DVD drive?

It's quite simple: The MBA has a large screen, so you want to watch a movie on it while you're traveling. But... Surprise! It does not have a built-in DVD drive. To make things worse, it also only has a very small hard disk, so you cannot copy many DVD rips onto it.

So the MBA basically is... An extremely expensive netbook with a large screen but less connectivity options. Or in other words: It's useless for most people and most purposes. It just looks good.

Then Apple tells you that the iPhone is -the- ultimate mobile Internet device. Well, everybody who has a lot of email traffic or needs remote access to company resources (maybe via Citrix ICA Client or Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection) will quickly disagree. You just cannot write long emails on the iPhone, the idea is ridiculous.

And then there comes the cheap Netbook. Enough power to playback 1080p videos, relatively long battery life for its small size, it still has a real keyboard for people who actually need to write something on the road, all connectivity options any other laptop has and it runs all flavors of operating systems (including Hackintosh OS X). And best of all: It costs less than 500 USD.

Yes, I really see a market for those devices. My 17" PowerBook G4 recently went South, and it was too large as a mobile computer - for me and my mobile needs - anyway. Now I'm actually pondering about buying myself an MSI Wind to install OS X on it - as described above, it has exactly the right size. If Apple doesn't want to sell me such a device, MSI does. And from everything I've read, OS X runs like a charm on it. I have a Leopard Family Pack with some spare licenses and Apple can then gladly sue me here in Germany for violating their license terms by installing OS X on non-Apple hardware - I would just love to "discuss" the validity and lawfulness of their EULA with them in a German court of law. ;-)

 

[calculus]

When Apple bring out a Netbook I will buy it faster than any other Apple product I've ever bought.

I can live with looking ridiculous.

 

[coupdetat]

It's quite simple: The MBA has a large screen, so you want to watch a movie on it while you're traveling. But... Surprise! It does not have a built-in DVD drive. To make things worse, it also only has a very small hard disk, so you cannot copy many DVD rips onto it.

So the MBA basically is... An extremely expensive netbook with a large screen but less connectivity options. Or in other words: It's useless for most people and most purposes. It just looks good.

...who cares? How many people are buying MBA's to watch movies? What matters to me (and, I'm willing to bet, to most of Apple's MBA buyers) is that I can run high-power apps and work for hours comfortably, while carrying a minimal load. That means doing lots of heavy MATLAB, LabVIEW, CAD work on top of being able to comfortably manage PDF documents, references, and word processing when writing papers. Being able to comfortably view lecture outlines from class is important, too.

What's so great about being able to email everywhere, anyways? If it's really that urgent, can't you respond on a smartphone?

 

[Acorn]

i would prefer to carry around a 350 dollar netbook then a 1000+ dollar notebook. if it breaks or gets stolen its not as big of a deal as say having your macbook stolen. it pretty much does everything you would want it to on the go. plus the samsung nc 10 as well as the msi wind do not have funky shift keys like the asus model. so typing is normal.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I can live with looking ridiculous if the netbook is their 12" PB but intel-based and 9".

 

[coupdetat]

I dunno.. everyone keeps saying it "does everything they need", but how many of you need to use Excel files at work? What about creating reports? I mean if you're writing a novel from scratch, it might be okay, but realistically creating content requires lots of references. What about students, who inevitably need to spend long hours with PDF and PPT presentations plus online course content?

 

[Lau]

I dunno.. everyone keeps saying it "does everything they need", but how many of you need to use Excel files at work? What about creating reports? I mean if you're writing a novel from scratch, it might be okay, but realistically creating content requires lots of references. What about students, who inevitably need to spend long hours with PDF and PPT presentations plus online course content?

I don't need to do any of those things. I don't work with Excel or Powerpoint files. If I type anything, I type it in TextEdit and then either copy it into an email (through GMail) or onto my website (through a web-based interface, so no FTP). I use Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. for my job, but I use my iMac for that, so I haven't had them on a small screened laptop since I got my iMac.

I did wonder if I could use a netbook as a secondary computer a while ago when they started coming out, so I reinstalled OSX onto my 12" iBook, and have been using that as a (chunky!) netbook. All I use on it is Safari, Preview, iTunes and TextEdit. It works a treat and I haven't missed anything. With free wifi on the trains here, it's brilliant. I just want something with slightly more capability and a slightly larger screen than my iPhone (and a proper keyboard!).

Would I buy a netbook? You betcha. I want one that badly that I'm not sure how long I'm going to hold out for Apple making one. The power and programs are so irrelevant, given that most of the stuff I use it for is web-based anyway, that the PC ones I've tried out running Linux seem pretty tempting.

 

[uhohzitzcooky]

Netbooks are great IMO. Previously owning an iBook G4, my Aspire One runs circles around it in everyday computing.

Like everybody else stated - it's a matter of personal preference. You may not know the entire situation of those who have a netbook. Working in retail (Best Buy), most people I notice who buy netbooks are those that use it as a secondary computer.

Me? I have a Mac Mini and a Q6700 rig at home, so there's no point in getting a $1000+ laptop. Heck, with my iBook, I only used it to go online, check email, and take notes in class. Other than that, it just sat on my desk while I did everything else on my other computers. So I sold it for $400 (after 2.5 years) and got the $350 Aspire One w/ 120GB & 6-cell battery.

 

[Malfoy]

Im seriously tempted to pick up an OQO 2+. While a bit more pricey, I think it rocks.

 

[NT1440]

I did see a guy with a greenish netbook at dennys when me and my friends went at 2 am.

People were making fun of him (his friends, i hope)

 

[Abstract]

I dunno.. everyone keeps saying it "does everything they need", but how many of you need to use Excel files at work? What about creating reports? I mean if you're writing a novel from scratch, it might be okay, but realistically creating content requires lots of references. What about students, who inevitably need to spend long hours with PDF and PPT presentations plus online course content?

If I do all my work on my desktop, and simply need a computer of any kind to type an email at uni/work, check email, check Facebook, and listen to music, then a tiny laptop would serve all their portable computing needs. This was the primary target market that Asus was aiming for when they first introduced the EeePC, and so people who are asking for netbooks for things like playing games, HD movies, etc, completely misunderstand what a netbook was primarily designed for. What these people are really looking for is an ultraportable laptop. They just want to pay $500 for a laptop instead of $1500 (i.e. less money), but don't consumers want to pay less money for everything?

Understand?

Besides what I just said, my friend has an EeePC hooked up to a 20" 1650x1080 resolution LCD when she's at home. No problems with her screen, and no problems with portability.

Sorted.

 

[twoodcc]

i personally have not seen someone with a netbook in public, but i can see how they might look funny. but, i think that netbooks will start to look better (sony and hp are making better ones already), and then i might just get one. one day

 

[EricNau]

With free wifi on the trains here, it's brilliant.

Coming from an area severely lacking both trains and free wifi, I find this idea absolutely exhilarating!

 

[coupdetat]

i personally have not seen someone with a netbook in public, but i can see how they might look funny. but, i think that netbooks will start to look better (sony and hp are making better ones already), and then i might just get one. one day

Agreed. Right now it's mostly a bunch of "me too" Taiwanese companies who usually can't get anything right. Notice how HP, Samsung and Lenovo were actually able to make decent models. Considering the size of the Apple BT keyboard, it should be totally possible to make a normal keyboard and trackpad, and fit it into a netbook-type chassis. I don't know why these companies insist upon compromising the usability of their machines.

 

[Unspeaked]

I know why Apple doesn't want to make netbooks now--they make their users look goofy! I've never seen people using them at my campus until today. There was a girl in the dining hall using an Aspire One and she looked absolutely ridiculous hunched over the tiny computer trying to peck out an email. Right now, there's a guy sitting at a table across from me at the library using an Eee.. and he also looks totally nuts, like he's using a little toy.

You think that's silly?!

I saw some folks walking around the other day with their faces crammed into a little screen using their fingers to move stuff around, open files and type!

Where the heck do they think they are, Star Trek Geek Fantasyville??

 

[GorillaPaws]

I'm with the OP on this one to a certain extent. For me there's 2 sizes of mobile computing, either it fits in my pocket, or it doesn't. If it doesn't fit in my pocket then I'm going to have to cary it around in some kind of bag. Honestly at that point, a couple inches/pounds really doesn't make much of a difference--I would rather have a full-featured laptop.

I can see the value in something like the modbook though, and would like to see Apple go down that path one day, if they can ever get inkwell up-to-par. I can appreciate that other people may have different needs etc. but I've never really understood why carrying around a 5lb laptop is SO much more of a burden than carying around a 3lb one.

 

[gkarris]

^^^ I agree.

I made a thread on my NetBook buying experience:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/607025/

I just couldn't get myself to invest in a machine with GMA950 graphics, especially when a real cheap-o laptop that plays 720p goes for $379.
(and the x4500M graphics in that is already out-dated 2 months later).

Then there was this other thread that someone posted thought I was crazy for writing off GMA950 graphics.

Now, I'm hearing that the web will start having more HD content:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10150445-2.html?tag=mncol

Just try viewing that content on a GMA950 based system....

 

[takao]

estimated sales of netbooks in 2008: 14-16 million

people buy netsbooks as secondary computer on the go either because they own a desktop or big 17" laptop at home

also quite a bit of netbooks have 3G preinstalled which makes them perfect for surfing on the go

 

[chewietobbacca]

Just because you don't see why other people would use em, doesn't mean that other people see a reason to buy them!

They fill the portable computing needs brilliantly. I have a enthusiast desktop at home, a laptop for work, and my iphone. You can't take a desktop around, the work laptop is at risk of being stolen or lost, and the iPhone can't do a lot of things a full computer can do.

So what's brilliant to use? The netbook, where I can watch videos, use the internet, hammer out a document, email, etc. Oh and my Aspire One with 6 hours of battery life, 160 gb hard drive, OS X on board, cost me all of $400 total, so would I feel as bad if it got lost or damaged? Definitely not.

Theres a lot of hate on netbooks here, but I can see that once Apple comes out with a netbook, everyone is going to call it the best thing since sliced bread