If you haven’t noticed, netbooks have quietly gone stage left and off into the sunset. Ever since the iPad launch, most vendors have ended their netbook production. Most notably, the most popular netbooks, Asus and Acer, have ended production as of the end of 2011. Further, all netbooks won’t product any more in 2013. The iPad has, in my mind, and I’m sure in plenty of others, has been the netbook killer. There is no need for a netbook when the iPad is far superior in speed and function. Plus, you can always connect a bluetooth keyboard to squash those “I need a keyboard to type on” naysayers.
Yes, the netbook was cheaper and quicker to load. But, without fail, our customers would try to load too many programs as well as too much data that capped the hard drive space. In the end, it was a cheap alternative that was slower than molasses. With Apple launching the iPad, consumers realized they didn’t want something small and cheap, but something that is portable and has a touchscreen.
The five-year netbook lifespan kick-started the mobile evolution and was important in that respect. It may be argued that without the netbooks, the iPad may have never been produced to improve upon the mobile movement.
Apple won’t stop with just knocking of netbooks. The MacBook Air is now eyeing ultrabooks and notebooks. Apple support is looking to translate millions of satisfied iPhone and iPad users into Mac users. They can do that by getting them to jump on MacBook Pro and Air computers. The new OX X includes iOS mobile feature which makes the transition from PCs to Macs more seamless for iPhone and iPad service users.
Microsoft support engineers are still struggling with Windows 8 and making it seem relevant to the conversation. The touchscreen Surface tablets that include the Windows RT will be popular with Microsoft Office junkies who love having Word, Excel, and Outlook on their tablets. Other than that, Microsoft is just another fish in the ocean versus creating another ocean as the Apple support folks have done.
