I’ve had a few different people ask me about the differences between a laptop and a netbook device recently. A couple of them have asked because of the super low prices on them going into the holidays and they want to get them as a gift for someone.
The question comes down to the simple differences between the two devices? Which one is better? Is there a difference?
The main difference between the two devices really comes down to size for the most part. Most of the time a laptop will be more powerful overall, but for the average person’s use, I really don’t consider that a big difference.
Here I’ve compared two different Toshiba systems currently available from Buy.com
|
Screen Size |
10.10" | 15.60" |
|
Hard Drive Capacity |
160GB | 320GB |
|
Memory(min/max) |
1GB/2GB | 3GB/8GB |
|
Operating System |
WinXP Home SP3 | Win7 Home Premium |
|
Processor |
Intel 1.66GHz | AMD 2.20GHz |
|
Price |
$315 | $600 |
Many times a netbook device will be lacking in some additional features like memory card readers, audio input/output options, multiple USB ports and sometimes won’t include a CD/DVD drive. You just need to look at the options for each.
Aside from those features that may not be available on a netbook compared to a laptop, there’s really no functionality difference between the two devices.
If the person will be using it mostly for surfing the web, email, and basic tasks for student or office productivity look at the netbook. If you think they’ll be moving frequently and packing and unpacking the device then the smaller netbook may be exactly what they need.
If you’re going to be working hard on the device for longer periods of time, then I’d go ahead and get a laptop.