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Comment by ukdm | Hacker News Reader

Well netbooks have always been seen as a solution for someone who just wants to surf the web. In a lot of respects a full OS gets in the way of that. If Google deliver with Chrome (less than 4 second boot, focus on browsing and web apps, much cheaper than current netbooks) then it could reinvigorate the market for them.

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I have a netbook that has been completely replaced with my iPad. (Browsing the web is a strong suit)

I think the netbook market is going to dwindle in the face of expanding tablet options.

With an 11" or larger screen, better keyboards, and under 2 pound form factor, something like a netbook will still be able to give the tablets a run for the money. The problem to date has been keyboards/touchpads that have been too cheap and uncomfortable and screens that are too small. Optimize for surfing from the couch or the bed, and netbooks (w/physical keyboards) will still have a place. (Especially for those who post lots of comments!)

I have a netbook that I use for development when I am on the go. It's quite small and light and has a long battery life. I have apache, coucdb, mysql, php, etc. all loaded. I work on two web sites with it. I back up to a usb stick with mercurial, so in a couple of strokes everything I do on it is backed up to my dev box when I get home.

I have always loved the idea of a tablet since I had one that was supposed to read my handwriting and automatically convert it to text (never really worked well). But they have a ways to go before I could use one instead of a netbook.

Now, if Santa is good to me this year...

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