Digital Home Thoughts: The Demise of the Netbook Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

"Remember all those talking heads who predicted that tablets and low-cost laptops would kill off the humble netbook? Well, consumer interest in such entry-level devices has apparently shown little sign of waning. Indeed, according to principal ABI analyst Jeff Orr, netbooks are not replacing laptops or PCs - but they are being purchased as complementary platforms."

The much maligned netbook seems to have quite a bit of life left in it. I can certainly see the appeal of a low cost, light weight computing device that is "just enough." Of course, phones are becoming that in many ways, but they do lack the form factor unless you are willing to go the RedFly route. I think that the trend of netbooks also speaks larger about consumer buying patterns as well. A single computer for a person, let alone a household is a thing of the past. Computers are becoming much more ubiquitous and we are looking to collect multiple devices, each designed to accomplish specific tasks. Yes, the age of computing appliances has arrived. Has anyone recently bought a netbook over a larger, low cost notebook lately? If so, what were your reasons for doing so?