Are Netbooks The Ideal Companion PC For Students?
June 24, 2009
Netbooks are everywhere, on buses, on trains, on planes… and in the classroom. It seems the little netbook has come out of nowhere to become extremely popular overnight.
What is a netbook actually?
Netbooks are laptops having screens that measure up to 10 inches or less. They run on Linux or Windows and usually have a price of $500 or less. The main function of a netbook is to simply let the owner connect to the Internet anytime they want without much hassle.
First introduced by Asustek when it launched the first Eee PC in the fall of 2007. But it was only in the last year when we saw the explosive growth of these so-called mini-laptops. Now we have many computer companies such as HP, Dell, Lenovo… all jumping on this craze for a small portable laptop. So much so, that netbooks now is the fastest growing segment of the laptop industry and is expected to reach 139 million units by 2013.
Portability is the key for the success of the netbook. People would always want a device that they can easily bring along all day so they can have Internet access anywhere. Many of us would always want to keep in touch with love ones and the Internet has become a primary medium for this, and in return it makes netbooks popular.
Now the next good question would be this: is netbooks good for students? Well if the stuff above did not convince you then here’s more:
Size- Netbooks make great laptops for students because it is small and handy. It has a 10-inch wide screen display, which is very ideal for students. They are very light and compact, making it easy for students to tuck the device inside their backpacks or school bags.
Portability – Netbooks are so small and handy you can bring it along all the time with no hassle, and this means you can connect to the Internet anywhere.
Sturdiness – Most netbooks are designed to be sturdy and tough. They can take a few hard knocks and still keep on working. Students are not exactly the most gentle creatures on the planet, so a sturdy tough machine is needed to handle the demands put upon it.
Battery Life – Because of their small size, you will usually get better battery life than with a regular sized laptop. This is important to the student since you may have to go all day without a chance to re-charge the battery. Long lasting battery life makes the netbook the perfect student laptop.
Performance – Despite its size, netbooks do have a very impressive and competitive front to be proud of. Some models have solid-state hard drives that are very durable. Most models make use of Windows XP, which is much recommended for smaller laptops as compared to Vista.
Storage – Netbook storage will never equal those of a laptop. Typically a netbook will only carry 30 to 60 Gig hard drives but this will be enough for students.
Price – Perhaps, the main reason netbooks make the perfect student laptops is the low price. Students are usually on a very limited budget and the low price-tag is a perfect fit. Many perfectly adequate machines are now priced in the $300 to $500 range – while many good ones go for well under $300. Plus, prices are steadily dropping so almost any student can now afford a netbook.
As you can plainly see, the netbook does have many features to make it a perfect student laptop: small size, very portable, excellent connections, very sturdy, long battery life, good performance, adequate storage and most of all, a very affordable price almost any student can take advantage of. Overall, netbooks are well suited for the classroom and the student.
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