Because the class of laptop style computers which have been given the name “netbooks” is relatively new, there are many people who are unfamiliar with the term. While there are some consistent distinctions to be made between netbooks and classical laptops, those lines are blurring and the average user may have trouble distinguishing the difference. While it is a catch-all term, the most significant aspect of the netbook is its reduced profile. There have been what could be considered small laptops essentially since the inception of the device class, usually bottoming out around 13 inches or so when measuring screen size. In comparison, the average netbook screen is around 9 inches or so, with some as small as 7 inches and others closer to 12. As one might expect, this decrease in size leads to a hand in hand decrease in weight, allowing these laptops to cross an important line in what arguably makes laptops so important and attractive; their portability.

Chances are, if you’re looking at the various netbooks being offered on the market today, portability is important to you. Now that that’s been established, let’s consider the sacrifices that are generally made to achieve this small size. Firstly, the buyer should expect to take a substantial hit in the performance of the machine when executing high stress applications such as video editing and 3d gaming. This doesn’t necessarily mean that these tasks will be out of reach, but expect longer waits during heavy data processing and lower frame rates during gaming, at least when compared to standard desktops available now. For most common applications used often by average users though, there will be little to no discernible difference in speed; tasks which fall into this category include word processing, browsing the internet, listening to music, downloading media, etc.

If having a lightning fast processor is not a requisite for purchase of a netbook, but concern lies in having the disk space available to store many large files then it is important to pay close attention to the storage capacity of the models being considered. While it is not strange to find a netbook with capacity at or near that of a typical laptop, it is not especially common either. Many people use netbooks as a secondary computer and do not expect such capability. Another reason for equipping netbooks with limited storage is to cut costs which are passed on to the consumer, as netbooks are widely regarded as being much more affordable than their larger, heavier counterparts. Many manufacturers will include an option for an upgrade in this area, but even if they don’t, in most cases it is relatively easy to purchase a high capacity drive separately and install it one’s self. System memory, or RAM is similarly inhibited and just as easily remedied. If squeezing every bit of performance possible out of the machine is your goal, affordable upgrades in each of these areas will help very much.

The bottom line is that users should not expect to replace a desktop computer with a netbook and enjoy all the same benefits, but for users to whom mobility is of the utmost importance or those looking to add a supplemental device to their main computer, netbooks are surely the way to go. Performance really is relative, and even today’s average netbooks blow away the big bulky laptops of just 5 years ago in that arena. With this in mind, it is easy to see how a netbook would make a great first computer for budding users.