It depends what you want to do with it. 95% of all my personal computing is now done on the machine on which I’m composing this post - it’s a Samsung NC10 netbook. I don’t play games, so graphical and processor speed isn’t a massive issue. My photos and other bulky files are stored on removable devices, so I 160gb hard drive is plenty. I get up to 8 hours of use on the 9 cell battery it came with, so I can take it to a long meeting in the evening and record minutes, or refer to documents on it without needing the mains cable.
The only limitation that affects me is the size of the screen - it’s 1024 x 600 widescreen, but this means about one third of the browser window is toolbars and controls, etc - I have to swich to full screen browsing for some things. Also in my multi-layer video editing software, I can only view a few layers at a time without scrolling, which is a bit awkward (the CPU deals with the grunt work of rendering the video quite admirably, however).
It’s probably just a happy coincidence that my needs are mostly met by a modest PC - but the compact portability of this netbook is a big win, for me.
I faced the same decision in January when my 7 year old Toshiba died. I opted for another Toshiba, albeit $449.00. It included a CD which the cheaper one didn’t. Bigger HD, more memory, etc.
Another advantage is the 17" display. The text is bigger.
You’re also neglecting the Atom processor. It was originally designed to replace the processor in your phone. It was designed to be rather cheaply implemented.
I’d not heard that the Atom was developed for that purpose, but anyway, point is, it outperforms many of the mobile processors that immediately preceded it in full size and mini laptops - so for people replacing an existing machine - even a fairly recent one - could still enjoy a performance increase.
Just wanted to say that the $400 laptop most likely isn’t crap. It may not be top of the line but the average user wouldn’t notice the difference if it was. I don’t know about the netbooks, I’m guessing by the way people talk, it is a tablet pc with a real operating system and keyboard/mouse.
One of the big differences I notice between cheap laptops and expensive laptops is build quality. The laptop feels more solid, the keys feel better to type one (less click and more type, just less stiff overall) and things like that. Played with a friend’s 4,000 Mac laptop, and damn if that thing didn’t feel good to use. If only it came with Windows.
Like I said, if only it came with Windows. And if I could justify spending four grand on a laptop. Me and OSX have never gotten along very well. I can use it for light computing, but when I try do do anything productive on a Mac, it does all the stuff Mac users keep telling me that Windows PCs should be doing to me.
Leading some of my Mac fan friends to decide that I should not go anywhere near a Mac. Especially theirs.
