Netbooks Challenging Computer Industry?

I would be scared if these things became widely adopted. The PC makers margins would be under pressure and the growth of laptops (which is the only style of computer that is still growing) could be in jeopardy.

The new computers, often called netbooks, have scant onboard memory. They use energy-sipping computer chips. They are intended largely for surfing Web sites and checking e-mail. The price is small too, with some selling for as little as $300.

I just don't think that these things will be as big a threat as this article makes them out to be. It would be nice to browse the Internet and check email from anywhere but you can already do that with an IPhone or a Blackberry. They work as a phone and MP3 player and are about as small as you can get.

So in this case the small size of the Netbook PC makes it tough to do actual work on it since you can barely see the screen and they have such a tiny little keyboard. At least with the Blackberry you can two thumb type. The Eee PC has one of those tiny little keyboards that is designed for a 6 year old. You could plug in a monitor or a full sized keyboard like you can with the CherryPal that the article mentions but you can already do this with a regular laptop.

I think a really thin and light laptop like the Macbook Air is about the smallest laptop that people would use and still be productive. I mean to check your mail and fire off a quick message or to check your stocks would be much easier to do on a Blackberry or an IPhone then on something like The Eee.

It seems to me that this Netbook is an in-between product that is just too big to do what a smart phone does (access the internet on the go) but too small to do what a laptop currently does (mobile computing for business and pleasure.) So I think this will be more of a niche item and less of a game changer then the New York Times thinks.