I agree with him, netbooks are nice, I would love one to take on the go and have internet connection wherever, but I wouldn’t work on a screen so small (without taking into consideration the tiny keyboards which I am sure would give me carpal tunnel syndrome on a blink)

@Martijn:

Two points:

1. You can surf the web, read emails, play youtube and divx videos, write office documents and view pdfs perfectly fine on a 3 year-old machine. What keeps us chasing the newer and better specs all the time?

2. There are linux distros that I) perform better II) have a smaller disk footprint III) use much less cpu and RAM IV) have better and shinier GUI than either XP or Vista and V)
can run on a netbook no problems. In fact, buying a netbook gave me the opportunity to try Linux for the first time. So much for being stuck on XP.

I think that one of a the testaments of a better OS is that it can run on a less capable machine (maybe with fewer graphics effects and such but nevertheless). So one doesn’t need to be stuck on XP/Vista with a netbook.

“Maybe Steve Jobs was right when he said “We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk.””

But they sure know how to build a $2500 computer that is a piece of junk…

Well, a netbook may be useable for more than an hour, but I’d like to offer the opinion that anyone who voluntarily uses one for more than an hour if there is any other alternative with better ergonomics is downright stupid.

Repetitive strain injuries and the “laptop hunch” you see people doing constantly is an ergonomics nightmare already if you would prefer to be able to use computers well into your retirement years. Normal laptops are already awful from an ergonomic point of view – now take that and compound it by having a tiny screen and an even more cramped keyboard and what you have there is a recipe for guaranteed work-related injury disasters down the line.

Personally I even developed issues with my hands while typing on a full-size straight “plank” desktop keyboard, and I see more and more co-workers getting carpal tunnel symptoms from sitting hunched over their laptops, arms close to the body trying to keep their wrists straight and failing.

So yeah… netbooks are fine for an hour, sounds very plausible to me.

@EngineDale I don’t know what you consider a “suit” but I spend all my free time tinkering with systems and my business life trying to make great technology for consumers and businesses. And, like you, communicate my opinion. I don’t hide under an avatar or veil either, like most. No one at work considers me a suit. You don’t know me so don’t call me a suit. Why don’t you take off the costume and let’s have a productive conversation on emerging trends and technology.

Maybe Steve Jobs was right when he said “We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk.”

Many of the issues people raise with netbooks aren’t issues for me. I type fine on the little keyboard and the lack of power is no issue when running a browser and one or two other apps. As far as the screen goes simply putting firefox into Fullscreen mode solves the issue of size.

While I think netbooks are nice new small and cost effective laptops. I do think Intel has a point. These netbooks are exactly the type of computers that will leave us stuck with windows XP or vista for years.

So it looks like Pat Moorhead from AMD and Stu Pann from Intel can agree on one thing – that netbooks need to be more expensive and use faster processors.

Hey guys, why don’t you rope in MS and the OEMs too, they’d love to get in on the “more expensive” bandwagon.

It is not by accident that Intel wants netbooks to grow “just a tiny bit” – just beyond the ULCPC license requirements of Windows XP. After that, its a vicious circle – bigger displays and faster processors will require Vista, Vista will require faster processors and more RAM, et cetera ad nauseum.

enginedale makes a good point, you corporate types need to give up on “spin”, just set your products out and let things take their natural course. relax, grab a cup of coffee and let enlighted types like dale dictate the course of your products.