Netbooks, laptops, and desktops are all great – the choice which one of them to get depends on the purpose you need it for.
Once the dilemma users faced when they were looking to buy a new computer was a desktop or a laptop. When netbooks were first introduced in 2008, they took the world by storm and now the decision what computer to buy becomes even more difficult.
The choice is not only netbook or a laptop because there are still many cases when a good old desktop is the best choice. This is why this article and the other two in the series will review the advantages and disadvantages of netbooks, the advantages and disadvantages of laptops and desktops and finally will attempt to present a reasonable buying decision which of the three is the best buy in a particular situation.
The Advantages of Netbooks
Netbooks are ultraportable laptop computers and they have many advantages, such as:
- Small size. 10” netbooks, not to mention 7” ones, are sweet and petite. They don't take much space and can fit even in a handbag.
- Light. Netbooks are really portable – for everybody. A 10 pound laptop is easily portable for a 300 pound male but for everybody else this is still a lot of weight to carry, especially when it is not the only item in the suitcase.
- Cheap. Price is another major advantage of netbooks. High-end netbooks could cost as much as a low-end/average laptop but generally netbooks are cheaper than laptops and desktops as well.
The Disadvantages of Netbooks
If netbooks didn't have disadvantages, this would have been great but since netbooks were launched as a low-priced computer, not as an ultra-powerful one, one can't expect that they can be used everywhere. Here are some of the major disadvantages of netbooks:
- Small screen. The small size of a netbook means that its screen is small. Though the typical resolution for a 10” netbook is 1024x600, which isn't much less than the standard desktop resolution, the pitch (distance between pixels) is smaller and that is why the onscreen image on a netbook is smaller. For people, who are short-sighted, this could be a bit of a problem, though there are thousands of workarounds for it.
- A less powerful processor. Netbooks ship with special processors (different from those in laptops and desktops) and these processors are less powerful. Still, 1.6GHz is quite enough for most tasks a typical user uses a netbook for, so it is hardly likely that the less powerful processor is of that much importance.
- No CD drive. Most netbooks come with no CD. There are some netbook models with a CD but this automatically increases their weight. No CD could be a disadvantage but when one has USB sticks, memory cards, or a cable, the lack of CD is not a problem for data transfer.
Netbooks are not ideal but the advantages of netbooks are certainly important. The disadvantages of netbooks are not exactly intangible but they aren't that serious either. If one knows these advantages and disadvantages in advance, he or she can make an informed decision if a netbook is worth buying or not.
Tsveti Georgieva - I have been a full-time freelancer since 2005. Before that I was a serial job quitter and but now I have finally found a job - i.e. ...
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