Can NetBooks & Tablets Co-Exist?

bsk_cw writes "According to Computerworld's Serdar Yegulalp, there has been a lot of talk about whether the iPad will take the place of the netbook — or, in fact, whether it will eat into the market share for more mainstream desktop and laptop computers. But, he continues, the iPad has a long way to go before it becomes a netbook killer — if only because it has created a space all its own."

Comments

Well...

[Jorl17]

Can Cars and Motorcycles co-exist? How about motorbikes and bicycles?

How about Laptop and Desktop computers?

This is just silly.

Re:Well...

[RapmasterT]

agreed. this is the same kind of exhibitionistic editorial masturbation that we get over and over and over from these people. Yes, we get it...you like to see your words in print and didn't have anything really useful to say. fine, but I'm getting sick to shit of it. OMG, two devices with radically different form factors and usage patters might be able to co-exist! who could have predicted that!

Re:Yes.

[kg8484]

I'm going to agree and disagree with your statement. Openness by itself won't do anything. However, openness leads to two things that will help tablets.

First, it opens up the market to competition. While this may not help a company like Apple, Google's Android platform allows new companies to enter the market without having to write the entire software stack. This in turn should drive prices down.

Secondly, an "open" platform allows more things to be done with it. Say some company is willing to sell me a netbook with a detachable keyboard (or a tablet with a clip-on keyboard that swivels), I would be more inclined to purchase that over a traditional netbook. Maybe not everyone, especially if it commands a hefty premium.

The one advantage that netbooks currently have is that they can run Windows and hence all the software that is developed for Windows. Until someone makes a good office suite for Android, I don't see people flocking to tablets over netbooks any time soon.

Re:Yes.

[jedidiah]

The open-ness of a PC or a netbook is what makes it so useful.

It can do anything that a normal desktop PC can do INCLUDING RUNNING THAT STUPID TETHERING APP for the iPad.

How funny is that? That $300 dirtcheap ultraportable netbook from Walmart can be the thing that I use to "manage" my iPad/iPod/iPhone/iWhatever.

This isn't about running Free Software. This is about doing anything you damn well please with your own property and having thousands of hardware and software vendors waiting to cater to you.