Netbooks
have captured the public's imagination. It's the kind of machine
many have long clamored for: inexpensive, lightweight and just
powerful enough for the basic, day-to-day,
Internet-based
tasks that consumers and corporate mavens normally tote a regular
laptop for.
At the same time, today's netbooks aren't
perfect. Many suffer cramped
keyboards
and track-pads; neither is fun to use during marathon typing
sessions. Some netbooks are more comfortable than others, but nearly
all sport keys that are less than full size. There's also the lack
of screen
real estate — anyone coming from a 22-inch widescreen
LCD will
struggle to fit whatever they're doing on a netbook's tiny 8.9-inch
or 10-inch limited resolution panel.
Since netbooks are such
small, inexpensive devices, they also include
processors,
memory,
and (most significantly)
hard disks
several generations behind the ones found in regular notebooks.
Intel is combating this to some extent with its new Atom processor,
which is designed with netbooks in mind. With solid-state disk
prices firmly affixed to the stratosphere, these concerns won't be
allayed any time soon.
But fixing the above issues isn't
really the answer. Instead, they're part and parcel of what makes a
netbook. Increase the screen and keyboard size, and add in a more
powerful processor, and you no longer have a netbook.you have a
laptop. And with full-blown, 15.4-inch notebooks starting in the
$500 range, there.s no need for netbooks to go in that direction.
Even so, the potential is
there for netbooks to become mainstream devices. Here's what really
needs to happen: |
Key Terms To
Understanding Netbooks:
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- The
boot
sequence needs to disappear. This has long been a dream of notebook
vendors, but it's particularly important here. Today, netbooks take as
long or even longer than regular, more powerful notebooks to boot up.
Incorporating a real instant-on feature wouldn.t mean a return to the
incompatible Newton and Psion days either: a clean install of
Linux or
Windows XP
boots quite quickly without crapware clogging up the proceedings. It can
be faster still with solid-state memory (see below).
- Batteries need to last longer. Another holy
grail, but one that.s especially relevant to netbooks given their
typical use cases: e-mail, a quick Web browsing section, and light
document editing. Think about it.if a
cellphone
can last for days at a time and sport a 500
MHz processor, a
netbook should be able to do the same thing with an Atom processor and a
much larger battery. Low-power modes, efficient green processors,
solid-state storage, and LED displays are all means to this end.
- Persistent
WWAN
connectivity. By definition, netbooks work while connected to the
Internet. If you can't find a hot spot, and you're not paying for a
$60/month cellular
broadband
card, your netbook becomes a doorstop. It's clear we won't have
persistent Wi-Fi even in major cities for some time to come, much less
rural areas.
- Touchscreen LCD. I vacillated on including this
one in the list. The last thing we need is another screwball mobile
operating system or failed attempt at a "middle device" that.s difficult
to synchronize with real PCs. A touchscreen netbook would still have to
be a Windows XP or Linux machine with a
QWERTY
keyboard through and through. But a touchscreen would make navigation
easier; particularly as more folks acquaint themselves with the touch
and two-finger-zoom idiom Apple made popular with the
iPhone and
iPod Touch.
- Lower prices. Finally, netbooks need to stay in
the $300 to $350 range. As various ultra-mobile PCs demonstrated, few
consumers would pay $800 or $1,100 for a device that's almost impossible
to type on, no matter how powerful it is. It.s much easier to just bring
along a regular laptop, even if it weighs more. But now that regular
laptops are pushing down against the $500 price barrier, netbooks can't
also cost $500, no matter how svelte they are. It's true that some
buyers are prepared to pay a premium for a lightweight design, like the
MacBook Air and slick Toshiba Portigi line illustrates. But the
mainstream netbook buyer certainly isn't.
Do any of today's netbooks come close to the above
ideal? None of them have instant-on or touch screen LCDs, so strike those
for now. Most new models, including the HP Mini 1000, the Acer Aspire One,
and the Asus Eee PC 1000H, have the right price point, at least in a base
configuration.
The HP Mini 1000 offers an internal WWAN option, while
the Lenovo S10 includes an ExpressCard slot. Few models exhibit long battery
life; most last in the three-hour range, which is the same as a regular
notebook. One exception is the 6-cell battery in the Asus Eee PC 1000H,
which is good for a stellar seven hours, and some Asus Eee PCs can exceed
four hours as well.
Since I referenced Apple several times already, it's
natural to conclude that it should release a netbook of its own. But
netbooks run counter to the Apple model, which is heavily dependent on
locally installed software, a walled garden media ecosystems, and high-end,
high-margin products that exude design finesse more than bargain prices.
That doesn't mean Apple won't ever release one, but don't expect one next
month.
(Besides, the company would rather sell you an existing iPod Touch or an
iPhone.)
I
give it 12 months before we see netbooks that begin to address the above
issues in earnest. The easiest to tackle are the first two: working out an
instant-on disk image and squeezing extra battery life out of today's
netbooks are within the realm of what technology is currently capable of.
Persistent WWAN connectivity is tougher due to how precious and expensive
cellular broadband is. It would take some savvy on the order of Jobs and the
AT&T/iPhone deal to break through the $60/month price barrier.
WiMAX is one option
here, since I presume Sprint and Clearwire are looking for an early 4G
foothold in cities other than Baltimore.
The touchscreen LCD is the only idea
I mentioned that I'm not entirely sold on. That's not because I'm not sure
if it's a good idea. I just don't know if it can be done inexpensively
enough, and perform well enough, given today's technology.
A really good
track-pad and button combination would be a welcome consolation prize; it's
a sore spot on many of today's netbooks. Linux machines run well out of the
box at the base price points.$319 to $349.but XP models tend to require a
memory and/or CPU bump before they run well.
In short: Keep netbooks in the $300
to $400 range, address the above issues, and watch them begin to cut into
regular notebook sales in earnest.
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DID YOU KNOW...
Gartner predicts that netbooks will hit sales of about 5.2
million globally in 2008, rising to 8 million in 2009.
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By Jamie Lendino
Article courtesy of
Datamation.com
Last updated: January 09, 2009
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