We can see how Intel and most netbook makers come to realize that netbook is auxiliary computer for non-intensive mobile computing, instead of a genre of its own with very limited use. People buy netbooks because they need a new laptop on the cheap, light and easy to carry. In most caes, that's what most consumers want.

However, Intel's analysis is focused on developed market and China. Netbooks are very hot products in India and other developing economy due to its relative reasonable performance and lower price.

Now I want to see more VIA NANO and AMD jumping into the market.

Well, a netbook for me is a upgraded PDA. Me as a computer technician use it as a great network debug tool. I've done countless ipconfigs, pings, puttys, vncs and I keep all network infos in treedbnotes. Can't live without it now. Have I said that I replaced paper notebooks at college with it?

Now all they need is one of those long-life (3-year) batteries like HP has (but not in their netbooks for some dumb reason).

I agree with Intel, I like my netbook but I'm not typing on it now

Do "first time pc buyers" even exist in this day and age?

I'm using my netbook now
But I'm not the "first time" pc buyer. I'm like the 22nd time pc buyer.
I use the netbook for internet browsing AND Let's just say, I wanna save the environment
btw intel, I totally agree with you

breaking news: when people are only going to have one PC, they pick the more functional one. wow... insightful....

Yep, my brother, and he Just bought an aspire one netbook. To be fair, he was incarcerated for the last 14 years. There are a few holdouts in the world, mostly them that grew up before the internet got big and figured they didn't need it. There are also developing countries where low power netbooks make a lot of sense for first time purchases.

I own a netbook and I will tell you they are honestly the most useless things ever.

They don't format web pages properly, you can't watch youtube videos without them chopping up, they are slow...

Honestly, Netbooks are a WASTE OF MONEY!!!

I still cannot understand how a netbook is useful, but maybe that's just me.

Not enough CPU power to run a real app (photoshop, mathmatica, DB2, etc.), not enough GPU power to run a real game, not enough screen space to watch movies (I'm sorry I like a big screen with real speakers to watch movies not a 8" microscreen), and a keyboard so small you can't properly type on it. So it's good enough to check you e-mail, watching low-res youtube clips and some web surfing (some pages don't like the small screen) ... I can do that on my phone or PDA, which cost me less. Or I can buy a real, but low end, laptop for $100 more and actually have a real machine.

P. T. Barnum must be enjoying all this.

If first time buyers gets a current netbook they'll be so turned off they'll never buy a PC again

Netbooks are so expensive and offer so little...

I've been using PCs since 1983 and my current is the second one I've ever bought on my own...

Now when Intel has come to the realization that netbooks are not a match for a PC and are just a auxiliary peripheral, perhaps they could drop the prices of ATOM so I could buy one?

on

well maybe I am the odd one, I did not want to spend $5500 on a quad core, 16gb ram, centrino 2 with a 1920x1280 17 inch display and a 9 cell battery (yet) but I need that power on the road for photoshop as a mobile workstation.

However I did pick up a Toshiba NB-205. Upgraded it to 2gb ram, a 500gb 7200rpm hd, windows 7 Ultimate RC (Aero interfce) Photoshop Elements, Nikon Capture, Guild Wars, Wow, Second Life, Crystal Reports, SQL 2008 etc on it, and now I wish I could bump it up to 4gb of ram because of its size. It would be nice if they put the dual core atom in it and I can always connect an external display if needed.

And the battery lasts forever on it.

That is how I am using my netbook...

I use to have an acer aspire one and I loved it. But what I ended up using it for (playing DotA with my buddies on the weekends) just couldn't cut it after awhile. It worked great, but would lag when more than a handful of characters where on screen. Also the novelty wore off after a few weeks of squinting to see the screen. For what they are intended to do(email, web browsing, word processing) they are awesome little machines, but I needed a bit more power and got an ASUS G50-VT X5, I love that machine and is more than powerful enough for some TF2, WoW, and L4D.

Netbooks suck.

I have both. My notebook and netbook. Netbook to try things out.
Notebook for programs and gaming.
My netbook (a 7" 800x480 pix, which was one of the first gen netbooks) was a little too small for many things.
The Atom powered netbooks where a little more powerful,and had a slightly better resolution.
The new pineview stuff coming up, I think it's gonna be fairly good for basic DX9 gaming, on a 600p screen, and I believe a good replacement for first laptops; as well as good battery life.

I don't see what would be so much worse between a notebook or netbook soon,save the smaller space,and the little less computing power.

Was it a Hacking crime?

I like my netbook. I know it's not a power house. That is what my desktop is for... I bought the eepc after my crapple laptop died..

people have no idea what they're buying most of the time weather it be a netbook, or a notebook, or a pc. They spend 700 bucks on a turd from wal*fart and then pick up a copy of nascar racing and get ticked off when it doesn't work. Or they go to buttbuy and pick out some pos craptop and a copy of crysis for their kid expecting it to run, all the while believing the BS that comes out of the employee's mouth. Articles like this need to encompass products as a whole rather than just netbooks. Lets face it. Companies like ACER and Alienware wouldn't exist if people weren't so ignorant.

Netbooks do not suck - there just the wrong type device for you, hell even a full sized notebook is useless for my needs - do i say there crap?

This is clearly just pandering to their shareholders, since it's well known that Atom is stealing sales from much higher margin parts. Occasionally executives have to go publicly defend their business decisions to protect their jobs, it happens everyday...

I registered just to comment on this specially even if i've been tempted multiple times before. This is way too wrong actually. There is way too many people i know even that buy notebooks first if not only.

First example is all the students that have nothing to do with computers and they buy a notebook or people that only need it for their work and/or travelling.

Ofc specially the readers of Tom's are mostly of the desktop cause not only we buid our own PCs but we are also aware that you cant achieve performance from the needs we have from them. We aren't just a casual PC user... It's just not the same thing. Result: there is way too many ppl that buy a laptop first. Even my parents never had a PC and now that they are SO old they have a laptop since Xmass which i found funny visiting them and them argueing about their laptops.. lol

People buy notebooks first and then netbooks? Why would anyone who has a notebook want to waste their money on an inferior netbook despite what the one stupid commercial might tell you? Netbooks are a good purchase for someone who doesn't do a lot on the computer besides surfing the web. And it might be a good purchase for someone who already owns a desktop computer and just wants a netbook for quick internet access or accessing simple applications on the go. Or if you have a family and want to get a cheap computer for the wife or kids to meet their minimal needs and to keep them off your good desktop or laptop. Buying a netbook when you already have a notebook just for the hell of it is a waste of money though.

I highly disagree with you.
Unless if you're using it for crysis, then I wonder why they suck *cough cough

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

I repair computers and 90% of the people I come in contact with would be perfectly happy with the performance of a netbook.

I helped a friend pick out a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X-BK. She loved the price and the mobility, but really wasn't sold until I pointed out that when its at her desk it would be hooked up to a 24" LCD and full sized keyboard, speakers, mouse, printer, external optical drive ...

When mobile it is small light and pretty much lasts all day on a charge. 6.5 hours of watching hulu via wifi and maybe 10 hours of light use such as taking notes in class with the wifi disabled.

They are not for everyone but there are a lot of people for whom this is the perfect computer for their needs.

Have you ever tried to watch Hulu videos in fullscreen on a netbook?