Sunday, February 17, 2013

Netbooks were a GOOD thing and we threw them under a bus

Packing for a week-and-a-half road trip to Silicon Valley and back triggered a moment of introspection over the impending end of netbook production.

I had some devices to choose from for my journey. I could have taken my Alienware MX18, my first-generation Samsung Galaxy Tab, my Asus Transformer, my Samsung NF210 Netbook, my Acer Aspire 5110 or my ageing 2006 silver Macbook Pro. Which to choose?

My primary consideration was battery life. I was moving from one PR schmoozefest to the next or locked in conference for the better part of 12 hours a day. One too many times I’ve gone to these shindigs only to discover that all the power plugs had been claimed long before I arrived. I predicted that I would realistically get one opportunity to recharge my devices per day: during merciful unconsciousness at the hotel.

The battery issues meant that the Macbook, the Alienware and the Acer were all out; none of these would last more than a couple of hours. It also took virtually every “Ultrabook” on the market out of contention: Intel still doesn’t grok that “all-day battery life” means a minimum of eight functional hours, realistically 12.

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