I'd add the move from feature phones to smart phones and later tablets. Early adopters were getting them 2007/08, 5 years on from that the platform was well on its way to maturing and with a broader range of hardware and the software ecosystem was moving to target it too. Then there's the question of what form best suits the usage the tasks the netbook audience have, if you're doing the very basic browsing/comms tasks, why take a comparatively big slab when a 4-5" will do, and if you do need a portable PC why constrain yourself to a weak system, netbooks were in no-mans-land.

perhaps, but chromebooks still come in laptop sizes these days. Other than a few stragglers (e.g lenovo duet), the majority of chromebooks are 12-14 inches.

If you are chasing the form factor, macbooks are serious competitors with really good battery life and tactile feel.

The beauty of netbooks was that ~10 inch form factor. Really the perfect companion device without needing a special bag to carry.

In many ways netbooks were a over a decade too early, and came right before the mobile hardware computing boom.

Netbooks are still not feasibile today, modern web design has made smaller lower res displays completely unusable today.

Tech Companies are trying to push foldable phones and tablets into this niche - but there was always something nice about a keyboard.

It’s much like today’s mobile experience.

Most people fall for marketing, do no deep research or consideration of their needs, and have a piss-poor time.

But some did the reading: Ubuntu on the Dell Mini 9, for example, was a dreamboat!, with or without touchscreen mod.

> Netbooks didn’t need Microsoft’s help in dying.

Amazing how many of Microsoft's competitors don't need the help, yet receive it.

> Nobody bought more than one of them, the experience was that bad.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/netbook-sales-exploded-i...

"The market for small and cheap laptops -- netbooks -- boomed in 2008, with almost 15 million of the things sold globally."

On the contrary, they were incredibly popular.

> Netbooks didn’t need Microsoft’s help in dying. Nobody bought more than one of them, the experience was that bad.

If I remember correctly Microsoft put a limit on the HW specs for getting those cheap Windows copies while simultaneously making sure they all shipped with Windows which did not run that well on that low spec hardware. I think this is a huge part why this category died that quickly.

On the other hand there was also just general technological progress happening, "full size" notebooks were generally getting a lot more compact and lightweight so there was less need for that separate category.

The netbooks were for most a lot cheaper. I think a modern equivalent is a shitty Chromebook.

yikes that in a minimal configuration costs ~700 euros or whatever the currency is by default.

You could get a much more powerful system for a lot less.

Except for the price. Apart from portability and battery life a huge factor was them being (very) low cost.

> What's the meaningful difference between a netbook and a modern 11-inch laptop?

Being cheap, commonly available, and shipping with Linux come readily to mind.