GeekMBA360

I first noticed the popularity of Netbook during this past Christmas season. Costco was carrying two brands of Netbook computers (Acer Aspire One and HP Mini .) They were all sold out within a couple of weeks.

According to data from Gartner, in third quarter of 2008, 5.6 million Netbook computers were shipped compared to 4.7 million iPhones sold in the same quarter.

I think this trend makes a lot of sense. I’ve been thinking about getting a Netbook myself.

Here is my thought process for getting a Netbook. I have computers at work and at home. But, frequently, I found myself in situations that I would like to have access to a computer outside work and home:

• while I’m taking a break in coffee shops, sometime I want to write down a few thoughts and create a blog post
• our kids take music lessons in the weekend. I could get a lot of work done while waiting outside the classroom
• while our kids are taking a nap in the car, I have some precious “free time” and would like to write something down or check my emails
• we have family members living abroad and we communicate with them via Skype. Having a light-weighted computer will enable us to talk to our relatives any time with zero cost

I think you get the idea. With a busy job and kids, time is precious for me. I want to be able to utilize whatever “free time” I have. Although iPhone or Blackberry will provide some of the desired functionality, they cannot replace an actual computer.

But, I don’t need all of the features of a laptop. All I need is a device with the following characteristics:

• light-weight, but I can still use a keyboard to type
• let me check email
• let me work on MS Word and Excel documents
• allow me to use Skype to communicate
• in-expensive.

A Netbook does the job. I’m wondering if we’re going to see a further explosive growth of Netbook Computers.

In fact, I just did a little bit research on Amazon.com. A whooping 7 out 10 items on the “best seller in computers & PC Hardware ” list are Netbook computers! (see list below)

• ASUS Eee PC 1000HE 10-Inch Netbook (1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, Bluetooth, XP Home, 9.5 Hour Battery Life) Black
• Samsung NC10-14GB 10.2-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 6 Cell Battery, XP Home) Blue
• Acer Aspire One AOD150-1165 10.1-Inch Netbook – Sapphire Blue
• ASUS Eee PC 1000HA 10-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) Fine Ebony
• Acer Aspire One AOA150-1126 8.9-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, XP Home, 6 Cell Battery) White
• Acer Aspire One AOD150-1920 10.1-Inch Netbook – Ruby Red
• ASUS Eee PC 900HA 8.9-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel ATOM N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, XP Home) Black