Tech analysts often wonder about the future of the world where small form factor devices dominate its larger predecessors. In the course of human evolution, functionality has always reigned over size and the market of portable computer devices seem to be following a similar trend.
Back in the days when the first laptops were introduced, they seemed like the smallest computers possible. Now, they are just considered as large and bulky specimens that have been outdated by the more compact and sleek netbooks. Indeed, the evolution from the notebook to the netbook has been a gradual one, but with positive growth cycles in the recent years.
What netbooks offer is a blend of innovation and functionality that offers extreme mobile computing possibilities for both casual and business users. You can take half the space occupied by a laptop in the luggage compartment and pack in a corporate solution with essentially similar features. The logic of a customer needing his workstation to be ultra light and functional has been the major trigger for more and more netbook sales. As per the reports from Q3 2009, netbooks have accounted for over 22 percent of the entire portable computer sales worldwide. The rapidly changing industry has accepted the growth as major brands like HP, Dell and Acer have entered into the netbook arena.
All the numbers and statistics point to a single thing. Netbooks have taken over as the pioneering asset for future development plans in major countries. More models are being handed out at subsidized rates and bulk orders are being issued for education and business purposes. It is the diverse multifunctional possibilities offered by the netbook that has been its most impressive selling point. Originally created as a crossover device, it is now capturing the market segment occupied by traditional PCs with the help of several hardware and software extensions.
A steady operating system support has been another key element in the positive netbook growth of recent years. Windows XP still remains the most popular and stable choice but the availability of Windows 7 Starter edition for netbooks and Google’s upcoming Chrome OS means users can now explore various choices in the netbook range, without being constrained in their options. Holiday sales and promotional offers are other catalysts that have added to netbook sales with several people opting for the budget models. Overall, the growth spike continues to rise upward for netbooks and their sales.
No device exists without a competition and the biggest competition for netbooks comes from specific handheld devices from Apple known as the iPad. The iPad is already selling in the millions as people continue to rave about it, calling it the future of computing. The device itself is an amazing one, but still falls short of netbooks because of lack of core functionalities. The tablet pc, Smartphone and iPad market might have lead to a small decline in netbook’s growth curve but it is no way a conclusive factor to push the modern netbook out of competition. Upcoming netbooks are getting more and more advanced. As the future evolves, the line of devices will continue to get smaller and slimmer and yet there is a steady chance of gen-next netbooks still providing the definition of the ultimate portable computing device.