2008: The Year of the Netbook

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by David Masters

Laptop makers will remember 2008 as the year of the netbook - ultra-portable, low-priced PCs designed for surfing the internet and office applications.

Since the Asus Eee PC launched in November 2007, netbooks have taken the world by storm.

A year ago, almost no-one had heard of a netbook.

With tiny screens and difficult to use mini-keyboards, everyone thought they’d be an overnight flop.

Now, however, big names in the computer business, including Dell, Acer, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo have all released their own micro-computer.

Acer launched the Aspire One, Dell the Inspiron Mini 9, whilst HP released the Mini Note.

Favourite for many, though, was the MSI Wind, with great build quality, features, battery life and price.

Netbooks cost just £150-£400 - quarter of the price of many standard laptops.

Because of their low price, Intel believes they will become the third computer for households in the West, and will give many in the majority world their first ever chance to own an affordable computer.

However, with recession looming, netbooks could become the computer of choice for the whole world in 2009 as everyone looks to tighten their budget.

Thinner wallets and smaller computers - the future means travelling light.