Notebooks

The rise in popularity of notebooks.

In recent years, sales of notebooks, netbooks and other mobile computing devices have come close to outselling standard desktop PCs, as more and people realise just how effective these portable machines can be at addressing their computing needs.

The rise of free Wi-Fi networks in public spaces – such as pubs, coffee shops, hotels and cafes – means that it’s now easier than ever to stay connected while on the move, and notebooks offer a relatively inexpensive way to access these networks, without having to lug around a bulky and cumbersome laptop.

Notebooks are, generally speaking, halfway between laptops and netbooks in terms of size and computing power. Netbooks tend to have a screen size of less than 11 inches – while notebooks tend to be slightly larger.

This means they are big enough to have a full-size keyboard, which greatly adds to accuracy, comfort and speed of typing, when working on it for extended periods of time.

While netbooks are generally designed for simple tasks – such as writing emails, surfing the net and creating and editing simple documents – notebooks can handle more processor-intensive applications, and can run multiple programmes at the same time, with little or no degradation in performance.

These features make notebooks the ideal choice for businesspeople on the move, who want to stay connected, and also get some serious work done while travelling. Although netbooks might be a little less expensive, they are more suited to casual use for entertainment purposes, rather than work use.

All of this helps to explain why notebooks have been selling so well, compared to laptops and desktop PCs.

As the number of available computing platforms proliferates, users are increasingly opting for portability and connectivity over sheer processing power, and the notebook represents – for many people – the ideal combination of performance, networking ability and streamlined size.