Netbooks; are they pretty much dead now?

I've had an Acer Aspire Netbook for about 2 years now. I purchased it when I was at University because it was small and therefore useful for carrying to and from campus.

The only problem is that it is a painfully slow system. Having said that I look at the specifications of modern Netbooks and they don't seem to have improved much. Granted they often have quite large hard drives, but they still use the Intel Atom processor which is pretty useless.

With Tablets taking over (particularly the iPad) do you think the Netbook is finished or will there be some major improvement just around the corner?

I've had an Acer Aspire Netbook for about 2 years now. I purchased it when I was at University because it was small and therefore useless for carrying to and from campus.

The only problem is that it is a painfully slow system. Having said that I look at the specifications of modern Netbooks and they don't seem to have improved much. Granted they often have quite large hard drives, but they still use the Intel Atom processor which is pretty useless.

With Tablets taking over (particularly the iPad) do you think the Netbook is finished or will there be some major improvement just around the corner?

dbowman

I agree with you that Netbooks are better for getting stuff done (even if they are slow). Tablets don't seem to have many practical functions. People just seem to play games on them and watch videos.

My Netbook uses Windows 7 Starter Edition which is probably why it is so slow. Perhaps I should just install Linux.

I agree with you that Netbooks are better for getting stuff done (even if they are slow). Tablets don't seem to have many practical functions. People just seem to play games on them and watch videos.

My Netbook uses Windows 7 Starter Edition which is probably why it is so slow. Perhaps I should just install Linux.

dbowman

You have to stick with the default wallpaper. Pretty hilarious really.

You have to stick with the default wallpaper. Pretty hilarious really.

dbowman

They are pretty much dead, there is not real point to buy one

The big push now is on Ultrabooks, such as the ASUS UX21

Small, thin, light, and relatively powerful. i7 equipped, SSD, USB 3.0, etc. The only question is the price, which will be under $1000 (but more then a netbook).

That UX21 looks mighty impressive. I dread to think how much it will cost.

I use my netbook to work while I travel. It is much better to use a netbook rather than a tablet for things other than media consumption. Plus, netbooks have USB ports! A lot of tablets don't have any. I think the reason your computer is so slow is because of Windows 7 coupled with the Atom processor. The Atom is right up there with the Celeron for being useless CPUs. Well, that was a little harsh, but they do stink. They make good combs though. :P

Anyway, I dual boot Windows XP SP3 and Ubuntu 11.04 and couldn't be happier. I added some Kingston memory to my Acer a while back and the computer seems to be a bit more responsive/zippy.

I wouldn't get a tablet like the iPad for school or for business. For a time I was interested in the Asus EEE Slate EP121 however. It runs Windows, which is great, but Windows 7 is not really made for the slate/tablet form factor.

I'd hold off for a bit until someone figures out how to make a "power user" tablet that allows for both media consumption and increased productivity. Tablets are the future of computing though. They will be ubiquitous human interface devices at the very least.

Ultra-books look great to me but they are seriously priceymarkop2003

Yep, I agree. The rule of thumb for me is, if a portable Mac seems to be a more reasonable deal, then there's a problem with the pricing. :P

I use my netbook to work while I travel. It is much better to use a netbook rather than a tablet for things other than media consumption. Plus, netbooks have USB ports! A lot of tablets don't have any. I think the reason your computer is so slow is because of Windows 7 coupled with the Atom processor. The Atom is right up there with the Celeron for being useless CPUs. Well, that was a little harsh, but they do stink. They make good combs though. :P

Anyway, I dual boot Windows XP SP3 and Ubuntu 11.04 and couldn't be happier. I added some Kingston memory to my Acer a while back and the computer seems to be a bit more responsive/zippy.

I wouldn't get a tablet like the iPad for school or for business. For a time I was interested in the Asus EEE Slate EP121 however. It runs Windows, which is great, but Windows 7 is not really made for the slate/tablet form factor.

I'd hold off for a bit until someone figures out how to make a "power user" tablet that allows for both media consumption and increased productivity. Tablets are the future of computing though. They will be ubiquitous human interface devices at the very least.

entropyecho

You get what you pay for?

Netbooks are, at best, a stop gap measure for immediate computing needs. I dont think its reasonable to expect to pay $300 for a device thats capable of lasting 4 years of college.

imo, netbook cpus have been getting stronger lately. The intel atoms are still stuck in the same place that they were pretty much 2 years back, but AMD has been pushing the limits of the netbook with their fusion processors the c-60 and the e-350. Next year they will release another upgraded netbook processor based on bulldozer which will make netbooks able to play pretty much most pc games well.

You get what you pay for?

Netbooks are, at best, a stop gap measure for immediate computing needs. I dont think its reasonable to expect to pay $300 for a device thats capable of lasting 4 years of college.

XaosII

Unless its a Sandy Bridge Celeron. Those things are right up there with Core 2 Duos. gmaster456

I still question the Celeron branding choice of these CPUs. Do people really have such short memories?

[QUOTE="gmaster456"] Unless its a Sandy Bridge Celeron. Those things are right up there with Core 2 Duos. entropyecho

I still question the Celeron branding choice of these CPUs. Do people really have such short memories?

14 - 15.6" laptop.. inexpensive, fast, full-sized keyboard.

They weight about the same as one textbook so it's not a big deal imo. Netbooks are, for the most part, dead.