Help me choose? Netbook or Notebook
Last holiday season, the computer industry saw an explosion in the sales of the “netbook category”. These ultra-portable notebooks (<11″ screen) sold at previously-unseen price points ($299-399) and were somewhat underpowered with inadequate memory, storage and power-sipping Intel Atom processors.
Now, a year later, people are asking us to help them choose: Should I purchase a netbook or a notebook?
To answer this question – let’s look at different scenarios where we’d recommend one over another!
Purchase a NOTEBOOK if:
- You need a larger screen (greater than 14″) either due to eyesight problems or the need to see small detail in your applications. Notebooks will tend to have better resolutions and the larger screen makes it easier on the eyes
- You rely on your computer for entertainment. Watching movies and playing 3D gaming are processor, graphics and memory intensive tasks. Higher end netbooks might be able to handle some movies, but better off purchasing a full fledged notebook featuring a dual core processor. Also, netbooks won’t include a DVD player – even most slim and light notebooks will still included an integrated DVD player / burner.
- Your computer will be your primary business system. Applications such as Microsoft Office (powerpoint, excel, etc…) are resource intensive. If your livelihood depends on your computer, no reason to leave your earning potential in the hands of an underpowered system. Better to spend one or two hundred dollars and get many years out of a great computer.
Purchase a NETBOOK if:
- You only want to surf the internet or light applications. Every netbook should have a Wi-Fi adapter allowing you to connect to wireless network. Its small size and limited capabilities mean they are priced right when you only need to do simple tasks such as web browsing, playing back MP3’s and
- You need a second or third computer for children. Features which are considered weaknesses of the netbook, turn into strengths when provided to children. The smaller keyboards and smaller screens are kid-sized. In addition, most netbooks can handle the abuse kids give them and if accidentally dropped, their lower price make it less of a hit than a traditional notebook.
- Size is paramount. For the time being, these are the smallest computers and should provide strong battery life (greater than 3 hours). Netbooks now range in screen size from 10″ to 12″ and a netbooks are very light and space saving for folks who need to travel light.
