The middle ground
According to a abstraction appear on Tuesday by bazaar assay close NPD Group, Netbooks are ambagious customers. Sixty percent of the about 600 adults surveyed said they bought a Netbook instead of a anthology because they anticipation they had the aforementioned functionality. Had they accepted that they didn't, abounding of those respondents would accept purchased a anthology instead.
"We charge to accomplish abiding consumers are affairs a PC advised for what they plan to do with it," said Stephen Baker, carnality admiral of industry assay at NPD. "Retailers and manufacturers can't put too abundant accent on PC-like capabilities and accepted appearance that could argue consumers that a Netbook is a backup for a notebook. Instead, they should be business mobility, portability, and the charge for a accompaniment PC to ensure consumers apperceive what they are affairs and are added annoyed with their purchases."
Baker makes a accomplished point. Netbooks aren't notebooks. They're not about as able as their beyond counterparts, they're cheaper, and they're about added acceptable for those who wish to go mobile. But that band amid Netbooks and notebooks is bound blurring. And it's starting to backfire.
When Netbooks were aboriginal released, they were calmly identifiable. But today, that's not the case. Numerous PC vendors accept been absolution notebooks antic above apparatus in a thin-and-light package. They avowal added processing power, a bigger display, and a amount tag that isn't abundant added big-ticket than Netbooks.
For example, Dell's Inspiron 13 laptop sports a 13.3-inch display, a 2.0GHz Intel Dual Core processor, Windows Vista Home Basic, and a 160GB harder drive for $499. It weighs just 4.6 pounds.
The company's top-of-the-line Netbook, the Mini 12, has a 12.1-inch display, a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor, Ubuntu Linux, and a 40GB harder drive. Its weight starts at 2.7 pounds. It costs $399. To accept Windows XP installed, the Netbook will amount $499--the aforementioned amount as Dell's Inspiron 13.
Given the differences, I'm accommodating to bet that a lot of consumers, if accustomed the option, would accept the Inspiron 13 over the Mini 12. It has a bigger display, added processing power, and the aforementioned amount tag, if Windows is desired.
That's a problem.
The crunch
Netbooks accept addition issue: smartphones. With the absolution of the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, and added able smartphones over the accomplished few months, one of the Netbook's strengths--portability--is getting tested.
Anyone who owns an iPhone 3GS knows that it's a able device. Surfing the Web is absolutely rewarding. Getting basal plan done isn't all that difficult, acknowledgment to a array of abundant apps. And blockage and responding to e-mail is fabricated simple with the iPhone's Mail app. The aforementioned can be said for the BlackBerry Bold, the Palm Pre, and endless added smartphones that are bound bridging the gap amid the desktop and the adaptable phone.
That's not to say Netbooks aren't superior. In my experience, Netbooks accept provided a added advantageous Web-surfing environment. Editing abstracts is abundant easier on a Netbook. And blockage and responding to e-mail is just as simple.
But NPD begin that a lot of humans just aren't traveling adaptable with their Netbooks. According to the firm, 60 percent of buyers said that afterwards the acquirement of a Netbook, they never took it out of the house.
That's a botheration for Netbooks. If its key advantage is portability, and users are instead bringing their adaptable phones with them on a alley trip, the Netbook is affected to attempt about alone in the home, area the anthology is king. And as I abundant earlier, it's acceptable added difficult to accept the Netbook over the notebook.
