
What Is The Real Reason Dell Is Discontinuing 12-inch Netbooks? - vaksel
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/08/why-is-dell-really-discontinuing-12-inch-netbooks/
======
nreece

      Netbooks should be getting bigger, not smaller. That’s what users want.
    

Isn't a bigger netbook just a notebook/laptop?! I don't think users really
want that. Users want something in between a notebook and a
handheld/smartphone.

~~~
ojbyrne
What people want are cheaper laptops. Intel is trying to fight that trend.

~~~
_pi
Hurts sales. Intel is actually at bit of a slump now because people aren't
upgrading hardware like they used to.

------
martey
I think non-technical people are easily distinguish between a 10 inch and 12
inch screen, but do not understand that resolution is also important. The Mini
10 (not the 10v!) has the option for a 1366x768 screen, while the Mini 12 has
1280x800 screen. Resolution-wide, the Mini 10 is "bigger."

Part of this confusion might be because of Dell's pricing. When I was looking
earlier this summer, the Mini 12 cost more than the Mini 10 (with the high-
resolution screen), despite having similar hardware specifications.

------
igorgue
I sometimes use a netbook to code (specially in a library), and it works just
fine (9"), VIM runs great on it :), and a browser like Chrome really saves a
lot of screen, so I check email and everything...

 _That makes absolutely no sense, since it requires no additional hardware
horsepower to power a 12-inch netbook v. a 10-inch netbook. The only
difference is power usage from the bigger screen. And the two extra inches
more than makes up for the shorter battery life or slightly heavier device
from packing in more batteries. It only costs a few more dollars to build a
12-inch v. a 10-inch netbook, and users get a bigger screen with the same
performance._

Since when Arrington is a hardware specialist? :)

~~~
GeneralMaximus
Is coding on a netbook comfortable? What if you wanted to code for more than a
few hours? Does the lack of screen space get to you or have you figured out an
efficient configuration? (If you have, could you please post a screenshot?)

I already have a MacBook, but I rarely take it out because I rarely do any
coding outside my place and lugging the whole thing through the Metro and bus
system is not exactly my idea of fun. Having a netbook that I can easily lug
around the city might actually encourage me to take my code with me wherever I
go.

~~~
igorgue
hope you read this, screenshot:
<http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/421955/netbook_vim.png>

Of course I don't think you'd enjoy coding on a small laptop (netbook), if you
don't follow some recommendations (which I think are good recommendations
anyways):

* limit your code to 80 cols

* limit your code to less than 400 loc

Actually on my main laptop I get 34 loc full screen (I try not to use full
screen), on my Dell mini 9 I get 31, not bad at all!

------
scottjackson
It's probably for profit reasons, but I thought it might be because having a
12" netbook in Dell's lineup would be blurring the lines between notebook and
netbook too much, potentially confusing consumers. Does anyone else think that
a 12" screen on a laptop gives people the idea that this could be their main
machine? I've certainly had non-tech-savvy friends ask why they shouldn't just
buy a netbook to replace their main machine (it was actually the Dell Mini 12,
in one case).

It's probably the profit margin thing, though.

~~~
pheres
12" netbooks are just too big. If it has 12" screen it better be a "fully"
powered laptop.

Todays netbooks are too limited to even deserve a screen bigger than 10" and I
guess the main purpose of a netbook is to be small and portable.

------
enneff
Jeeze what a non-article. It seems he makes no point at all.

------
yardie
I'll take a guess and say in their head first dive into the world of ultra
cheap PCs they found no there there. The margin on those things are so small,
one phone call can turn that money loser into a real money loser. It was one
thing when bloggers and geeks were buying them. They figured it was a cheap
toy you could do serious work on. But then they went mainstream and people
only saw the price and not the shortcomings. Somebody gets the bright idea to
blow away their partition table. Calls tech support to figure out how to
restore their data, profit loss. Hardware failure, profit loss.

------
rabidsnail
What people want is netbooks with good keyboards. The Workpad z50 was a joy to
type on, the problem was that it only had 32mb of memory and ran windows ce. I
want that with a modern cpu and more ram.

~~~
kcy
I was looking for two things when I got my netbook: 1) great keyboard, 2)
great battery life. By virtue of it being a netbook I figured it would already
be relatively small, light, and cheap. I think the Samsung netbooks have the
right formula.

My NC120 has an awesome keyboard, battery life that seems to stretch forever
(8 hrs, and I have a second battery!), and it was only $400 at Amazon (+ $90
or so for the extra battery). It's not ridiculously light like some of the
other netbooks out there, but light enough that I put it in my bag and forget
it's there. Light enough that I can carry it around town like a spiral
notebook and not feel fatigued.

Really the only issue I have with it is that the screen is glossy and I
personally prefer matte. Also the windows key is on the right side for some
reason. Whatever, it's still great - the screen doesn't bother me that much
(still would prefer matte) and the windows key thing is totally invisible to
me now. Also I've found that when I'm out at a coffee shop or something people
stop me left and right to ask about it. It's interesting who asks - retired
folks and middle age folks.

My wife and I took it on vacation and watched movies and TV the entire flight
off of iTunes. It was the slightest bit jerky at times but certainly not
enough to be bothersome. As a random addition, the NC120 contains a subwoofer.
Ha! Not that you can really tell.

I know I'm gushing. I'm going to stop. I don't work for Samsung, but the NC120
is truly great (I'm sure it's sister models are good too). It hits the magic
keyboard/battery life/weight/cost sweet spot that makes it just feel awesome!

And yes, I can totally code, write long reports, and respond to emails, browse
HN, etc on it to my heart's content. I got a little portable mouse which I
rarely use, but sometimes pull out when I'm using it for a long time.

Ok, I'm stopping now. Hope it's helpful to someone out there!

------
zyb09
Intel is probably one of the most rigorous company's in the IT business today.
I believe every word they say on the pricing scheme is true.

------
smithjchris
From experience (my sister-in-law and a couple of other family members), they
have a high return rate. People expect them to behave like a full blown laptop
but they don't.

~~~
rbanffy
I would be very happy with a 768x1366 10 inch screen. Currently, I use an Acer
Aspire One with an 9 inch screen as my main computer. The thing is that, when
at my home office, I connect it to a big monitor, a nice mouse and a keyboard.

The only part I dislike is the 600x1024 pixel screen. It's a bit on the small
size and lots of programs (and websites) seem to think 768 lines is the
minimum.

