Laptops Shrink As Portability Becomes More Of An Issue

Since Asus took the first steps to miniaturising the laptop with the EeePC, a host of manufacturers have followed suit. Even though it was initially designed to target the emerging markets by supporting the One Laptop per Child scheme, established markets in Europe and the US caught onto the idea and the EeePC was suddenly in demand. It was, however, not a perfect beginning.

Asus’ concept was to provide a low cost alternative to people that would allow them to access the wealth of information available on the Internet. Residents in the west saw them as a cheap alternative to keep their children entertained and promptly snapped them up. However, many failed to recognise beforehand that laptop emulation wasn’t high up on the EeePC’s agenda and this resulted in many returns, with peripheral incompatibility being the main problem cited. Consumers didn’t want Linux, they wanted the more familiar Windows and wanted to be able to use the netbooks in the same way as they use their laptops. Asus listened, and so did Dell, Acer, MSI and many more to follow.

There’s now a range of netbooks available from these manufacturers and are now slightly more affordable than standard laptops. The compatibility issues no longer remain and these miniature laptops are beginning to appear in everyday life more and more. The Intel Atom processor originally used and intended for smartphones has in some cases been replaced by the more robust Intel Celeron version traditionally used in laptops, providing extra power to make multi tasking much easier. Linux is still available as an operating system, but Windows has become a major selling point for some. For all the advances and changes made, though, netbooks are still not fully fledged replacements for laptops, merely just a more portable alternative.

Netbooks are ideal for being used on the move. Being more portable than laptops, owners find that they can easily use them in almost any location. However, the size advantage means that there is a trade off in functionality. Its original concept of being a method to access the Internet is still the predominant function. They are not capable of the processing power that laptops provide and are best used for simple document production, email checking and browsing. Unlike laptops, they will not be suitable for design work, gaming or watching movies. Portability means that netbooks are really only good for one task at a time. Another advantage over laptops that netbooks have is their battery life. Whereas laptops will usually last for around 2 hours, netbook users will find that they’ll be able to work non stop for periods of time up to 7 hours.

Confusion may well exist around the true capabilities of netbooks with many consumers believing that they can perform as well as laptops or PCs. Remember, they are not capable of producing the same results as a laptop, but are more than adequate for mobile web browsing and simple tasks. However, with technology advancing all the time, it might well be feasible to expect that netbooks will soon catch up with the more powerful laptops. Eyes will probably turn towards the Far East to see indications of this, but for now, business users who need to be in touch with their inboxes will find that netbooks provide a great vehicle upon which to carry out their work.

The author is an SEO Analyst with Summit Media, an online marketing company based in the UK and Czech Republic.

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