Feature wars and computing shifts: Netbook vs. Tablet
Just three years ago, I was writing plenty of posts on netbooks; those small portable notebook computers that were priced between $200 and $500. Sales grew quickly, mainly because of the value of a netbook. The Microsoft-powered Windows devices offered a solid amount of features for a relatively low price as compared to traditional laptops. And then Apple introduced the iPad in January 2010.
What happened to netbook sales? They reversed momentum, being surpassed by tablet sales in the second quarter of this year. And I generally stopped writing about them.
Others haven’t though. The lgpOnTheMove site, authored by a frequent commenter here, recently put together a list of 101 things you can do with a netbook. I still have a few netbooks and I’ve looked the list over: I don’t see any inaccuracies and it’s filled with a bunch of undeniably useful capabilities. Here’s a small sampling of the list:
- Boot any x86 operating system when using a multiple-boot partition
- Run and install other MS software (Works, Visio, Project, MapPoint)
- Plug in your USB thumb drive to move/browse files
- Attach a wireless trackball for ultimate ergonomic comfort
- Easily swap your battery for a second and continue working without looking for an outlet
- Install and run proprietary x86 business software applications you use at work
- Rip your DVD movies to a hard drive and watch on the go
The reason for the list is to educate people as to what a $400 netbook investment can return. The author doesn’t think that adding a keyboard to an iPad or Android tablet is enough to rival the netbook experience:
“It amazes me the number of folks who continue to suggest that netbooks are underpowered, useless and cheap toys compared to more expensive slates. And this viewpoint reaches peak when folks see a slate docked with a fancy clamshell-style keyboard/case combination, entertaining the idea that it can even replace a notebook! Yet quite the contrary is the truth.”
I totally understand the point being made, but I also think there’s a bigger point that’s being missed. For starters, many of the listed items aren’t exclusive to netbooks. I picked out a few here:
- Edit, author and upload videos to YouTube
- Get 8 hours of real-world run time on a single charge
- Connect with external audio equipment for DJ applications
- View two web pages side by side
- Install and run Google Earth
Aside from the battery point — and many tablets exceed 8 hours of run-time on a single charge — all of the examples I chose can be done through mobile apps on a tablet. There are some listed functions completely exclusive to a netbook, but mainly because they’re exclusive to a desktop operating system, which is what I alluded to by saying “there’s a bigger point that’s being missed.”
Netbooks aren’t a new product genre, or the evolution of a new computing paradigm. They’re simply the same old computing products in a smaller package with a smaller price tag. Tablets, on the other hand, have created a new class of mobile product, although it could be argued that they’re an extension of the smartphone market. Regardless, the bigger point here is that computing is changing and netbooks haven’t changed with it.
The enterprise may be different, but average consumers today don’t want to plug in USB drives, swap SD cards or futz with a desktop operating system on a mobile device. Consumers want the “computing” to take place behind a simple interface that’s intuitive and carefree. Tasks are now broken down into a plethora of purpose-driven applications instead massive suites of software. And people want this new computing experience when they’re sitting, standing, walking, or riding; not when they have a desk or a lap to work on with a computer.
Anyway, it is an interesting list and for people that have traditional computing needs, I agree that netbooks are an attractive, low-cost option. I’m curious if our readers agree that computing is changed in the way I think do. Thoughts?
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I think this war has settled for me. I sold my iPad to buy an 11″ MacBook Air. It was the best decision I’ve made in terms of portability, performance, and functionality.
I am considering a MacBook Air and thus especially appreciate your perspective. I own an iPad and a netbook; the former has great battery life, is good enough for email, very portable, but awkward to use for a lot of advanced purposes. Meanwhile, the netbook has horrible battery life, takes forever to boot (primarily due to virus scans), often fails to shutdown or sleep properly, etc. Nevertheless, the keyboard and software compatibilities are big advantages for the netbook. The MacBook Air looks like it could be the best of both worlds.
Feel free to check out my review of the HP 210 Mini netbook. I’m not having any of the issues you describe, despite extensive daily use for the past 6 months:
http://lgponthemove.blogspot.com/2011/06/first-impressions-hp-210-mini-netbook.html
Well, everything a netbook can do a regular laptop or desktop can do too and usually faster. The real issue is whether one needs to a) do many or all of those task, b) for some reason a full on laptop or desktop can’t be used and/or c) one wants to use a netbook as one’s primary computer.
For people for whom a netbook can be a primary computer they’re still viable devices and the points made are very valid. However, the tradeoff has historically been that netbooks aren’t powerful enough to be the one and only computer for most people. Instead, people used them when they wanted mobility and lightweight computing but didn’t need all of capabilities of their primary machine.
A lot of people whose primary PC was a desktop wanted mobility without spending for a full-on laptop and netbooks gave them that. However, iPads fulfill this need too and arguably do it better. That’s why iPads have reversed the sales trend.
I see your point now as far as what you believe average consumers look for in a slate. Ease of use and convenience are very big selling points, and the touch interface aspect removes any traditional PC walls altogether.
I think the divide is not so much between enterprise and consumers, but between average consumers and enthusiasts. Folks who’ve used PC’s forever like myself will get what a netbook can do, yet hit a brick wall when trying to do things with a more expensive slate. Even the educated consumer may think differently. I’ll be honest, I’ve looked at a few slates so far and haven’t been impressed.
Great write up – much appreciated and a BIG thanks!
You can use usb drives and sd cards on a tablet…..
Problem with netbooks is if you arent a tech head its going to run real slow. Usually a service pack 1 update straight away, first boot takes 1hour plus to settle down. A netbook in its first few days of use is going to chug. Especially limited to that 1gb of ram, and dont get me started on those single core atom processors!
Average user doesnt need photoshop cs5 or intense office apps.
Im happy with photoshop touch and quickoffice hd using touch or a kb/mouse on Sony Tablets S.
I beg to differ. My Alienware M11x has 8 gigs of ram and an i7 processor. It booted up pretty quickly for me from day one…
Netbook can fly when you have the right hardware. I have 278.00 Dell Atom with a 120GB SSD drive and 2gb of ram and it boots in 25 secs and powers down in 6 seconds. Netbooks can be power houses and do more. I still like the touchy feely screen of the slates though so I have both! lol Power Netbooks rule though!
productivity computing vs casual computing
a tablet cannot properly do the former.
Yes and no. I think your list of things a “tablet” can do versus things a netbook can do is accurate and reflects what they are designed for. “Tablets” are entertainment and media consumption devices. Netbooks are general purpose PCs that are cheap and slow.
However “tablets” as you use the word in your article refers to phoneOS tablets. There are also Windows tablets which can do all that netbooks do and more, given Windows tablet extensions. My HP Slate is faster than most netbooks so Win7 runs acceptably (although for heavy computing I prefer my i7 desktop). Battery life is not as good because it’s smaller but the other side of that is that it is smaller and lighter so I have it with me more often.
While the HP Slate 2 is not that much of an upgrade, Win8 should speed things up immensely and with Moore’s law and battery development, 2012 could be a big year for enterprise ready tablets. I am particularly interested in what Nokia may be planning.
Who cares? Netbooks are von Neumann machines. Tablets are von Neumann machines.
The trouble with the iPad is that it does not have a USB port so you can’t just plug in a folding USB keyboard. I wouldn’t buy a bluetooth keyboard. The iPad is just overpriced. I am looking at the HTC Flyer.
But people spill Coke and coffee and milk on the keyboards of their computers. With a desktop that won’t damage the computer because the whole keyboard can be replaced. But that could kill your system board and hard drive in a laptop or netbook. A separate USB keyboard is an advantage in a tablet.
But people write all sorts of junk in the media. They need to please advertisers and avoid things that might upset advertisers. But being able to put any Linux version on a netbook is an advantage too. It is too bad ReactOS is not ready for prime time. A public domain Windows XP clone would make netbooks The Bomb.
The netbook is dead. long live the Tablet!!
http://www.geezam.com/are-we-witnessing-laptop-and-pc-extinction/
That article in it’s entirety is outdated, highly dubious and a good laugh at best. The only thing dead is Steve Jobs, and laptops will be around for a long time yet.
hahahahah. That article was sooo funny and sooo off-base. It makes me want to go off and write the anti-article to this one and just reverse the numbers. Thanks for the laugh Lindsworth!!
Kevin, I have to disagree with your comment about people not wanting to plug in USB drives or swap SD cards. The question I am asked the most regarding inquiries to my iPad, is ‘how do I get my photos and movies on the device’. Sure nobody wants to futz with USB drives and SD cards, but it’s still very much a part of today’s reality. Also, along with an explosion in tablets and smartphones, I’ve also been witnessing an explosion in DSLR usage. The cost of DSLR’s has been dropping, and since digital cameras reduce the cost in photo development (you only need to print those photo’s you really want), a lot more people are picking up photography as a hobby. All those large photo files need to go somewhere, and I don’t know of any web enabled DSLR’s that will upload directly to the web…..yet.
I don’t mean to suggest that you were implying that a tablet is a replacement for a desktop, but in so many ways, a tablet just isn’t a replacement for a netbook either. For all it’s faults, a netbook (or better yet, an ultrabook) will still be a much better companion than a tablet.
Al, I think we actually agree. Let me explain. I said people don’t want to futz with USB drives or swap SD cards. You’re saying they do because they want to get their media on the device. But when you think about it, those are 2 mutually exclusive requirements.
USB and SD cards have been the de-facto standards to move media. But as they say: the times are a-changing. There are now more ways to wirelessly move content from computers or the cloud. That means USB and SD cards still have a need, but that need is diminishing. In other words, there’s a difference in saying “consumers need USB/SD support” and “consumers want to get media on their tablets”. Does that make any sense? I may not be explaining it well.
Regardless, I agree with your example as I use a USB cord or SD card slot to get photos off my point and shoot. But I could just as easily use an Eye-Fi SD card to transfer the photos to the web or a computer over WiFi. Thanks!
I never got on the netbook bandwagon. After checking out netbooks owned by coworkers and neighbors, I realized that my notebooks were far superior and much more capable. Netbooks are grossly underpowered, with smaller keyboards and limited memory. It is fitting that this niche product is slowly being killed off by the tablet. People, like me, will still own notebooks with tons of memory and powerful, multi-core processors for productivity and work. However, netbooks are destined to go the way of the floppy drive.
Good netbook reviews are hard to find, which is one of the reasons I do my blog – people need unbiased, critical, hands-on information and I give it to them. A lot of early adopters have had bad netbook experience in the past, and that is understandable – much of what was sold in previous years WAS indeed sub-par. But the thing people need to think about is that netbooks have evolved greatly since they were first introduced in 2008, so I don’t think you are right calling today’s models less capable and underpowered. The N570 Atom in my 210 Mini can actually transcode video faster than a 2.66 Core 2 Duo, and has a very well done keyboard.