Legal Research

Netbooks

One of the reasons cited for declining Windows Vista sales is the rise of netbooks — cheap, small notebook computers perfect for people who want to check their mail, surf the Web wirelessly, stuff like that.  They normally run Windows XP (and can continue to do so until at least June 2010) or some flavor of Linux (which, unfortunately, ain’t popular with consumers.)

Netbook manufacturers have to make trade-offs with regard to performance in order to keep them small and light — they have no optical drive (even on the MacBook Air) and their screens are small.  But even so, sales are taking off.

I’m interested, for sure.  For the past 2 weeks or so I’ve been wondering which would be a better purchase: a $199 iPhone (and the baggage of $1,800 worth of charges over the next 2 years) or a $300-$400 notebook.  Both are portable. (Granted, the iPhone will fit in my pocket.  The netbook will have to be toted around in a bag.)  Both feature wifi. (The iPhone also has 3G, when that works.)  But the netbook has a real keyboard, something a fat-fingered guy with aging eyes appreciates.  (I know, the G1 “Googlephone” has a keyboard, but it’s so tiny.)  So, for me right now, its advantage netbook.  Not that I’m gonna buy anything right now since the economy’s tanked.

Full post as published by Jenkins Webblits on October 27, 2008 (boomark / email).