My Stance on Netbooks

I hate you and your pathetic processing power.

For the past year, I have been using an Acer Aspire One netbook to take “notes” in class (I actually took the least amount of notes ever this past year. Surprisingly though I achieved a substantially higher GPA compared to my first 2 years, but I digress). I gleefully bought it last year summer, thinking it would be a worthy mobile companion to my stalwart custom built desktop back at the apartment. Initially, it was okay. I accepted it for its flaws. After all, it was only $300. How could I complain?

Well, turns out I can. I don’t even consider it a computer to be honest. It is so slow my neurons had to re-adjust every time I went back to using my speedy desktop. It is that slow (I admit I’m pretty biased though since my desktop is a Quad Core). Some other notable points:

• The screen size makes me feel like I am going blind (which I might be, but I refuse to let a machine of a netbook’s stature tell me that)
• Playing videos on it reminds me of an asthmatic running a marathon. Can it make it??? Yes, you can do it!… no… get back up…… please………… I can’t believe I paid money for you……
• Battery life is nothing amazing. You’d think a computer with such little processing power could go on FOREVER. Sigh, the disappointment. It makes my nonexistent mustache ache.

However, even though I think I’m qualified to critique netbooks on their place in this world since I’ve owned one for a year, I know many will disagree. These are a few of people’s arguments for netbooks, along with my response:

1. It’s good enough for word processing and web browsing. I agree with this to an extent, but if you use a netbook as your primary computer, what about those times you want to watch an HD movie or engage in anything slightly more intensive? You will be left in the cold, shivering and wanting your mommy because Santa happened to give you a crappy netbook for Christmas. Netbooks should never be your primary computing device. The only reason I’ve kept my netbook is because I also have a desktop.
2. It’s so light! Stop being a weakass. If carrying a 4 or 5 pound laptop was tiring, I fear for your health, and what are you without health? Nothing. Zzzzing!
3. It’s great for traveling business people. Any seasoned business professional would not consider a netbook. Those spreadsheets can get pretty big, no joke. (I honestly have never seen a single business person with a netbook. Think Thinkpads, Latitudes, and Macbooks).

If I were to recommend a netbook, a user would basically not have to care about speed, screen size, or their life. Apple got it right by not not getting into netbooks and sticking to the premium notebook market, which they are dominating. Netbooks are a step backwards in technology, not forward. [Sidenote: notebooks I would personally consider today are the 13" Macbook Pro or the Dell 14z.]

On my trips back home to the Bay Area, I bring back my netbook thinking I might need it, but I fear using it so much that I just steal my mom’s full sized HP laptop and use that instead. I think I have allowed its pathetic existence to terrorize me enough. Say hello to Craigslist, netbook. Like a poser trying to fit in with the cool kids, you were found out.