Michael Dell Has Harsh Words for Netbooks and Vista

[Marlin Guy]

http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/10/14/michael.dell.says.own.netbooks.poor/

"Take a user who's used to a 15-inch notebook and then give him a 10-inch netbook," Dell is noted as saying by the Standard. "He'll say 'Oh, this is so cool, it's so lightweight.' Then 36 hours later he'll say the screen's not big enough, give me my 15-inch back."

.............

"Though not mentioned during the talk, compatibility, interface and performance problems triggered a backlash against Vista almost immediately and led to Dell restoring a Windows XP option in April, less than three months after Vista went on sale. Since the reappearance, Dell has gone to great lengths to keep XP an option, going so far as to allow $150 downgrades from Vista even as of today."

[Lee L]

He is right about Netbooks being small, but I am pretty sure most of the market research has said people are buying them in addition to a full size Laptop, not instead of one.

[Marlin Guy]

Lee, that could well be. But I think he's saying that once people do that, they typically end up shelving the netbook and using the 15" most of the time.

[Hansen]

The Netbook is generally not a substitute for a laptop PC. Unfortumately, the marketing department of PC manufacturers, looking to pump up sagging sales, have overlooked this fact and failed to market the product so that users would understand what they are really getting in the end.

[Herdfan]

^^^

My mom thought it would be a good idea to get one for my father because he could easily sit with it on his lap. So I took a piece of paper and cut it to the size of the 10" screen. She changed her mind after she saw how small it was.:eek2:

[phat78boy]

Couldn't agree more. I see so many people getting them cause they are cheap and small. A week later they are complaining about how their websites don't fit in the screen and there is no way to play DVD's. You definitely need to know what its uses and limitations are before you buy.

[wilbur_the_goose]

We have a whole generation that thinks watching a TV show on a mobile phone is cool. They'll think a netbook is HUGE.

[houskamp]

15? I'm short sometimes in my 18.4 :lol:

[dorfd1]

15? I'm short sometimes in my 18.4 :lol:

I would want a netbook to run emulators on.

[Grentz]

My netbook works great, my laptop works great. Both have their uses.

I can say overall I have no use for a 15" laptop, too big for my tastes. I have a 14.1" laptop and a 10" netbook, both work out perfect for my needs.

Netbooks do have a place.

[phat78boy]

I have a 13" and I think its the perfect balance. Of course its not my main computer so that weighs into it too.

[rudeney]

I was at the Verizon store today and overheard a conversation between a sales rep and two ladies who were there to buy a netbook. They ended up buying the MiFi adapter so they could just use their own laptops. They decided the screen was just too small.

[HDJulie]

I wanted a netbook but didn't want to spend $300. A friend of my husband had one that he no longer wanted & sold it to us for $150. It's a Dell mimbook or something. It has a 10" screen but it will only do 1024x768. I really like the small size & the light weight but I was surprised at how much I don't like the screen. If it were a better resoultion, I think I would like it more. The screen size is the only drawback for me.