Netbooks unable to replace your laptop

Dear PropellerHeads: I was going to buy a netbook. But my iPhone zealot friends say it is old technology and I should buy an iPad. That true?

A: Apple, Steve Jobs and his minions are keen to marginalize any technology that doesn't come out of Cupertino as old and outdated. Apple goes a long way to make you feel stupid if you buy from anyone else. Apple is impressive, especially cultivating their hip status for a 34-year-old tech company. But that smugness and the high cost of their solutions can be hard to take.

Apple's techo-junk has their share of problems too. I am speaking of their 3G network issues (thanks Ma Bell), their iPhone 4 antenna (you're holding it wrong) and their strangle-hold on the iApp market (if we don't like it, it doesn't exist).

What does this have to do with netbooks versus iPad? Well, let's start with the iPhone.

When it was first introduced three years ago, it was over-the-top cool and innovative. It had a multi-point touch screen, when most phones had no touch. It had a great user interface. It had a terrific, large display when many phones were using low-res displays about the size of a large postage stamp. It also came with the Apple app store encouraging innovation, productivity, commerce and fun as inexpensive add-ons. Thousands of folks waited in line to buy the first version... kinda like what has just happened with the iPhone 4. With more than 50 million sold, the iPhone is doing a lot right.

But what really happened was that the iPhone changed the smart phone landscape. The growth in the phone market is in iPhone-like devices. That is, large high-quality screens, multi-touch interface, strong multi-media support, phone app libraries, phone and WiFi Internet connectivity and great Internet browsers. With Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Google Nexus One, HTC EVO 4G and Palm Pre, the iPhone's impact is obvious. So, while you may not be buying an iPhone, you will probably be buying its cousin.

Now, about those netbooks...

They're not for everyone. With smaller (albeit high resolution) screens, small keyboards, no optical drives and less powerful processors, they are unable to replace your full-powered laptop or desktop. But for many, maybe millions, an inexpensive, small-platform Internet-ready device meets most of their needs. The iPad does most of the same things as a netbook, but at a much bigger price tag. Good netbooks run about $300. iPads start at $500 but will likely cost you more than $700 well-equipped.

So, like what the iPhone did to smart phones, iPad is going to obsolete the netbook market. I think that is going to happen soon. This will also probably do the same for eReader and existing tablet markets which are really similar devices.

Wired.com predicts similar trends in a recent article (http://bit.ly/bl4nJQ). Although, CNET makes the case for the netbook platform (http://bit.ly/ccL8C1), citing issues with the iPad (no flash, no keyboard, limited storage). While all true, newer tablets will overcome this.

If you don't need a full-powered laptop, you will see new entries from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and others that should meet your needs and be more pocketbook-friendly. Toshiba's dual-screen Libretto W100 has begun this wave of new devices, although at too high a price (http://bit.ly/c3CQgC).

If I had to buy now, I'd spring for an iPad. It will still be cool in a year and that netbook will be soooo yesterday, it'll make you look hip and you can act smug around all your friends. If you can, I'd wait to see what Dell/HP/Lenovo came out with because it'll be cheaper and probably sport some nice improvements.

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. E-mail them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.