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Perhaps you've heard the term "Netbook." But do you really know what the word means?
And do you know why "Netbooks" are so important to the future of computing?
Here's what you need to know:
QUESTION #1:
WHAT IS A "NETBOOK" COMPUTER?
A:
Netbooks are SMALL, CHEAP and NOT VERY POWERFUL computers.
How CHEAP?
You can often buy them for as little as $249.
How SMALL?
They generally have screens that are 8-10 inches wide.
QUESTION #2:
BUT WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT A "NOT VERY POWERFUL" COMPUTER?
A:
Most people who buy netbooks understand that they are really designed to do just two things:
• Surf the web
• Read your email (usually via Gmail)
To do these two things does NOT take a very powerful or very expensive computer...
...and these SMALL, CHEAP and NOT VERY POWERFUL computers are perfect for the job.
QUESTION #3:
AND WHO WOULD WANT A COMPUTER THAT'S REALLY ONLY GOOD FOR SURFING THE WEB AND READING EMAIL?
A:
You.
Maybe not today...
...but soon, you will want a SMALL, CHEAP and NOT VERY POWERFUL computer that's perfect for surfing the web...
...precisely because more and more of what you do with your computer is going to be via the Internet, or some form of "Cloud-Computing."
QUESTION #4:
NOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT "CLOUD COMPUTING" THING AGAIN...
...CAN YOU REMIND US OF WHAT THAT MEANS AGAIN?
A:
In the most general terms, "Cloud-Computing" means your data and/or your applications (or software) lives on the Internet (or "in the cloud") instead of on your computer itself.
And as more and more of the computing things we do "live up in the cloud"...
...the more and more willing we will be to start using SMALL, CHEAP and NOT VERY POWERFUL computers.
QUESTION #5:
HOW SOON WILL MOST OF US START USING THESE SMALL, CHEAP NETBOOK COMPUTERS?
My guess is that most of us will start using these small computers very soon, and here's why:
• The prices on netbooks are going down, down, down...
...in fact, you will start to see more and more offers of netbooks for $100 or less if you are willing to commit to paying your wireless carrier for a monthly data plan, too.
(Which is a lot like buying a smart phone, too)
• You are going to find yourself doing more and more things "in the cloud"...
...and at some point, it's going to be obvious to you that you really don't need that "old fashioned" desktop or laptop computer anymore.
• Your netbook computer may replace your phone.
The iPhone is almost a phone and a netbook.
The new Palm Pre (which many say will be an iPhone-killer) is almost a phone and a netbook.
And some say that very soon, both HP and Apple are going to roll out netbooks that work more like smart phones than laptop computers.
So what will all this mean for you?
It probably means that once again...
...computing as you know it is about to dramatically change again.
-Gregg Stebben KSL's Nightside Technology Guru
