Where have the light netbooks gone? | Hacker News Reader

Where have the light netbooks gone?

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something light that can easily be transported everywhere for a quick surf session

That's called an iPhone. (Or the alternative smartphone of your choice.)

Steve Jobs predicted three years ago that nobody would want a netbook if they had a pocket-sized object that was actually usable for web surfing. And this would seem to be evidence that he was right. [1]

Today, the "netbook" market has a higher percentage of people looking for low prices and laptop-style features, rather than people looking for extreme portability. So as netbook manufacturers figure out how to deliver larger, more laptop-like machines at similar rock-bottom prices, the "netbooks" creep up in size.

[1] Of course, the best way to predict the future is to invent it.

As useful as the iphone and ipod touch have made pocket-surfing, for any session longer than a few minutes they are no longer the right tool for the job.

In 6 or so months, Jobs is going to sing a different tune about mobile computing. One in which the iPod/iPhone is an important 'always with you' part, but not the end-all/be-all. E.g. The iPhone means you're never at a loss, even if you're caught off-guard. But if you expect to be doing some work/reading/media consumption away from a desk - a larger device with more appropriate ergonomics will be the way to go.

As soon as I expect to be doing actual work, I bring my 13 inch macbook. A netbook still requires some sort of backpack or bag; at that point I can carry a real (full-size) laptop. Comparing this with my last laptop (bought 5 years ago), it was a total pain to carry around. Back then, a netbook would have been good. Nowadays, if I ever planned to be without a laptop, a smartphone would be the next size down for me, as it's the biggest thing I can fit in my pocket.

a 7" screen on a netbook is usually not a good tool for longer sessions either. I'd go for a larger netbook with more comfortable keyboard & screen, for such cases. Weight is less important than that (my current netbook has a 10" screen, btw)

The death of the Dell mini 9 is greatly exaggerated, as I just ordered a Vostro A90.

I finally gave in to the temptation, since it's so highly rated (in the just-works) sense as a hackintosh and since the iphone is a total non-starter for me (expensive, no keyboard, no cdma).

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