Netbook

A netbook is a small-sized <a href="/facts/Laptop/3EFwTAb2">laptop computer</a>; they were primarily sold from 2007 until around 2013, designed mostly as a <a href="/facts/Internet_appliance/TvEMhpg0">means of accessing the Internet</a> and being significantly less expensive than regular-sized laptops.

At their inception in late 2007, as smaller-than-typical laptop computers optimized for low weight and low cost, netbooks began appearing without certain then-standard laptop features (such as <a href="/facts/Optical_disc_drive/IM9ugGbU">an optical drive</a>), and with less computing power than in full-sized laptops. They ranged in size from about 5" screen diagonal to 12", with a typical weight of about 1 kg (2.2 pounds), and were often significantly less expensive than other laptops. Soon after their appearance, netbooks grew in size and features, and converged with smaller laptops and <a href="/facts/Subnotebook/fpb9fQGk">subnotebooks</a> until the specifications were so similar that there was little distinction between the devices. At their peak, the low cost gave them a significant portion of the laptop computer market.
When <a href="/facts/Windows_7/tldLdbnX">Windows 7</a> released, netbook manufacturers had to increase specifications in order for their devices to run it. This had the effect of pushing netbooks into a <a href="/facts/Niche_market/qEJCErW8">market niche</a> where they had few distinctive advantages over traditional laptops. With these constraints and the increasing popularity of <a href="/facts/Tablet_computer/6pGX2I7b">tablet computers</a> in 2011, it led to declining sales of netbooks. By the end of 2012, few new laptops were marketed as "netbooks", and the term disappeared from common usage.

Netbook open-in-new

Netbook