If we could get a Newton workalike package for a tablet, it would be a
great replacement for netbooks. Some Newton ads even looked like
netbooks. The killer feature of the Newton was that I could write on
it (handwriting => text) effortlessly, much faster than I could use a
keyboard with one hand, and the storage/search features were awesome.
Making it bigger and adding a keyboard made it as bulky and awkward as
a netbook (but the keyboard could be left behind). Biggest mistake
(other than not knowing how to market it) was to add features that
made it into a PC.

If Newton functionality was an add-on, someone who doesn't know what
it is wouldn't have to pay for those features, and the hardware cost
has already been amortized over all the other buyers. Just adding a
keyboard to a tablet adds most of the netbook functionality. Apps are
available to access a remote (sometimes virtual) PC across the
network, giving much faster CPU and connectivity than a netbook alone
would have.

--Don Ellis


On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 10:58 PM, Robert Citek <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 31, 2012 at 4:24 PM, Scott Granneman <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Sayonara, netbooks: Asus (and the rest) won't make any more in 2013 |
>> Technology | guardian.co.uk
>>
>> Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/31/netbooks-dead-2013
>>
>> Netbooks are dead. What killed them? I'd say a combination of their general
>> crappiness & the iPad.
>
> My ASUS netbook fills my niche: small (10.1"), light,
> fully-functional, plenty of storage (160+ GB), long battery life (6+
> hrs), wifi, cost-effective (~$200).  Plus it has replaceable parts:
> battery, disk, RAM, keyboard, wifi.  That combination of features
> makes it ideal for frequent travel.
>
> Given that Netbooks won't be around for much longer, what alternatives
> are there for the <11" laptop-like device?  Tablet + keyboard?
>
> Regards,
> - Robert

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