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This post could alternately be titled: How to kill a golden goose. A couple weeks ago I purchased my first netbook, the HP Mini 1000 (1030NR). There have been countless reviews of this particular model, and I even felt compelled to do my own writeup of the product. Though the Mini 1000 had a few "extras" that I particularly dug, its core specs are identical amongst all entries in the market. For better or worse, a large majority of netbooks contain the same processor (Intel Atom N270), the same graphics chip (Intel GMA 950), and the same amount of RAM (1GB) with only the display and hard drive size/type being the primary differentiating factors. Quite honestly I like this approach as it gives some solidarity to the netbook market which, despite the nearly instant popularity, is still very much in its infancy. It's a commonality that folks can definitively point to and say "this is what I can expect when purchasing one." It also keeps competition high amongst the various vendors, not to mention keeping prices in check as well. When folks think of netbooks, they think of low cost (around $300 USD) ultraportable computers ideal for doing basic computing tasks such as web surfing, e-mail, IM, and running office-type applications. As an added bonus, most casual and older (pre-2004) PC games can typically be played on these machines as well. Screen sizes are certainly "smallish" at about 9 to 10 inches on average, but the incredibly small footprint and weight requirements pretty much dictate this. Said differently, netbooks certainly aren't mobile computing powerhouses with highly scalable and upgradeable components, large displays, expansive hard drives, and gaming grade graphics chipsets. They don't weigh more than a few pounds or take up much space. So now that the market is semi-established, leave it to the big players to find "new" and "innovative" ways to screw things up. Dell, HP and Asus seem bound and determined to "redefine" the term netbook just as it's begining to gain some prominence under the current definition. To be fair, Asus was one of the first offenders in making a netbook not a netbook with their N10. At first glance this model seems revolutionary, sporting a dedicated graphics card (GeForce 9300M) that has given this product the moniker of being the first "gaming" netbook. In actuality, the 9300 represents a sub-entry level offering that is incapable of playing leading edge games at anything but the lowest image quality settings. In quite a few cases, the N10 cannot play some titles at all due to either incredibly poor performance or the game not running at all. Chalk this up to the Intel Atom processor that remains part of the package which, even when paired with a somewhat workable graphics solution, still isn't cut out for contemporary gaming. Due to the graphics "upgrade" the weight of the machine increases to over 3 pounds with a larger footprint, the power consumption is much higher than typical netbooks, and the price is more than double the norm at around $700 USD. Calling the N10 a netbook is kind of like calling swine flu a pandemic. Yes the general definition of the term fits in each case, but when you peel back the layer of hype and sensationalism you'll find that initial perception simply doesn't match reality. As for Dell and HP, they're begining to follow the path that Asus has already haphazardly paved as well. HP currently offers a "Vivienne Tam" edition of the exact same netbook I purchased (Mini 1000) that sports a red and pink color scheme, a 60GB mechanical hard drive, and a jaw-dropping $699 USD price tag. Is a color pallette switch, roomier hard drive, and "trendy" product descriptor really worth a $350 price premium, especially when a full fledged, better equipped notebook can be had for the same price or less? Looking at Dell, they were on the right track for so long with their netbooks, even periodically offering up a base level product with Ubuntu for a scant $199. They absolutely had the right idea and probably sold a ton of these machines at that price point. To the contrary, the sub-$200 netbook has disappeared and they are now marketing something called the "Mini 12" which sports a 12" screen(?), lower performance CPU and graphics chipset (to offset the power requirements for the larger display) and a near $500 sticker. Given the larger screen size (which many ultra-portable notebooks also sport), larger footprint, higher power requirements (despite the give-take relationship with the other hardware), and especially the $200 price upcharge, can the Mini 12 still in good conscience be called a netbook? I say no and think these vendors are releasing new entries into the market in entirely the wrong manner. The netbook subdivision of an already thriving "portable computing" segment has quickly turned into the goose that lays the golden eggs. It's such a slam dunk that only a failure of catastrophic proportions would mess things up. That said, Asus, Dell, and HP are certainly making a solid go at doing exactly that. As is often the case with an already winning formula, these companies are choosing to add in so many unnecessary ingredients in order to differentiate and hopefully, increase their individual market share. All the while, they are consistently forgetting about the audience that made these ultra-small, super affordable devices such a success to begin with. As for the "natural progression of technology" argument, netbooks already have that and have had it for literally decades. It's called the notebook and both Dell and HP sell them in droves. Sure, consumers will eventually want better specs on netbooks, but not at the expense of what literally defines the platform... that equal balance of small footprint, price, and power requirements. Anything that breaks these hardline specifications makes that product not a netbook. Netbooks are flying off the shelves and big box retailers can't keep certain models in stock for more than a few days, sometimes hours. Sales are fantastic and everybody is reaping the benefits. So why then are Asus, Dell, and HP intent on killing the goose?
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