Sometimes it’s fun to take a break from talking about the technical details of netbooks. I’ve been an avid supporter of the category almost to a fault. Debates are always fun until somebody starts losing the argument and then things turn ugly. Oh well. I’ve been on both sides of that.
Don’t laugh at this laptop photo. In 2005, this is what people thought a portable secondary computer was! Netbooks came to live because of the need for a secondary computer. Before netbooks there wasn’t such a thing as a secondary computer. Those clunky, heavy, battery hungry laptops were your only option.
Okay this is a subject that I’m very passionate about. Most people out there either don’t really like labels or they really don’t care about such a debate. I care about the debate because it’s easier for consumers and people searching online to find what they are looking for. Without labels or categories, wouldn’t the internet become a big blog of information and endless searches for you when trying to find information for what you are seeking?
Recently, the Oxford dictionary added “netbook” to their dictionary. Their definition of what is a netbook?
“a small laptop computer designed primarily for accessing Internet-based applications”
That’s decent I would suggest. Unfortunately, the experts out there don’t have a clue about what is a netbook. Seriously, it’s that bad and these so called technology experts are stuck in their own muck. Here they are describing products and computers, yet they haven’t taken the time to really think about what is a netbook. Read the rest of this entry »
A recent story from Digitimes.com about an ABI Research study suggests a strong future for the netbook market. They are predicting 60 million netbooks will be sold in 2010. Beyond 2010, they are expecting the 60 million to double by 2013. The fact is the netbook market is expanding into other areas of the world. The article suggest a strong educational market for netbooks.
Hard to argue with this research. There are always real threats to the future of netbooks, but I feel the organic nature of their rise, will lead to their growing market strength. People do want secondary computers and they don’t want to spend a lot of money on them. There will always be a more expensive option out there and that’s the role of the manufacturers. They are always trying the upsell. They are always trying to maximize profit. The netbook is all about what we want, not what they want.
