Ah, the netbook. Back in 1999 or so I remember one of my co-workers spent over $3,000 for a mini Sony Vaio PCG-C1, the kind with the tiny keyboard and woefully underpowered processor. Fast forward a decade and we’ve come full circle with the netbook. These still woefully underpowered laptops still have tiny keyboards but they cost a pittance and, for a certain subset of users, they’re some of the most compelling pieces of hardware to come out of Taiwan and Japan in years.
Origin Story
The netbook was supposed to save the PC industry. Cast your memory back to 2007. We were just on the edge of the global financial precipice. Desktop sales were flat and laptop sales were soaring. All seemed fine. But there was a problem: the laptop market was considerably different than the desktop market. Desktop PCs sat comfortably in a den and were upgraded over time. Junior wanted to play The Sims so he installed a new graphics card. Sis wanted a scanner – she added an all-in-one. Dad was going through a mid-life crisis so he bought a new case. PCs generated sales in peripherals and, once the PC was maxed out, it was relegated to the basement and a new one purchased. PCs cost a pittance to make and could be sold at a slight profit.
Laptops, on the other hand, were stagnant. You bought a laptop and held onto it. For many it became a main computer, but one you never upgraded. You could add some memory and plug in a printer, but you weren’t purchasing overpriced graphics cards or hard drives.
Related posts:
- CrunchGear Gift Guide 2009: Netbooks The Year of the Netbook. That’s 2009. You can’t walk...
- The iPad And Chrome OS Netbooks Are On A Collision Course “We don’t know how to build a $500 computer that’s...
- What ChromeOS Means For Netbooks And Why Microsoft Needs To Be Scared While you won’t be able to sense it at first,...
- Cartoon: Netbooks It seems everyone and their dog is coming out with...
- What Is The Real Reason Dell Is Discontinuing 12-inch Netbooks? Dell has retired their 12-inch Intel Atom-powered netbooks, they said...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.