Originally Posted by
mrcamp
I think it should be clarified that, a netbook should NOT be a replacement for, and should not be compared to a laptop. The netbook meets certain uses, one of which is portability. Most of us that have a netbook, also have laptop for "real" work. A netbook will never be a replacement for a laptop, period!
The line between an ultraportable laptop and a netbook is a thin one, and for many of us, a regular ultraportable can't replace the desktop-replacement laptop.
"Netbook," "ultrabook" (should Intel's name for MBA-clones catch on), "ultraportable," "thin and light", "desktop replacement" are all very rough areas within a continuum of power and portability. Some people have a use for two machines at different points in the continuum, some don't. Of those that do, which two points are worth filling will vary.
Note for example the discussions of the HP DM1z here (11.6", non-Atom-processor, a bit pricier than the standard netbook mark), which may or may not qualify as a netbook or an inexpensive ultraportable, depending on who you ask.
If you count the less expensive models in the 11.6"-12.5" class as "netbooks" (and going by marketing, some are, some aren't) then I a lot more people are going to be pleased with them than with the 10" models.
Originally Posted by
TRAVELSIG
I do recall many years ago when at my office the discussion was "a laptop will never replace a desktop". Not a lot of desktops around anymore actually.
Odd, I see tons of them around. Lots more laptops than used to be, and more new sales of them (in part because the useful life of a desktop is much longer), but the total number of desktops I see has plateaued, rather than shrunk.