Thanks to tablets like the iPad, netbook sales are dwindling. Sales were 5 percent higher in April '10 than they were in April '09, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty. That seems alright, growth is growth, but considering that sales were 641 percent higher in July '09 than July '08, that's a mighty steep decline.


Tablets are fun to use. They feel like they're from the future. Touch interface is still novel. They're a different class of computing device. They can't run demanding software like a notebook can, but that's besides the point. Movies, music, books, browsing, chatting, and gaming (well, easy games) -- perfect on a tablet. That's all that most people use their computers for, so why not trade in a notebook for a cool gadget that does everything you need?

Netbooks are tedious to use. They're cheap, cramped, crippled versions of real notebooks. Yes, they are very portable and very cheap. As a result they feel very disposable. As Steve Jobs put it, "Netbooks aren't better at anything."

Maybe I'm just bandwagon-jumping, being too quick to dismiss netbooks. I just can't think of a compelling reason why they deserve to exist. Can you? Leave them in the comments below.