Laptops vs. Netbooks: What’s the Difference?

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Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 @ 2:45 pm | Misc

In the past it was either you had a laptop or a desktop, and both were easily distinguishable. Today, you can either have a laptop, a netbook, or a desktop, among many other computer units that are being released. But the main question most people have is ‘What is the difference between a laptop and a netbook?” they both look the same, they have similar functions, so why are they distinguished as netbooks by the companies that manufacture them?

In terms of functionality, a netbook will basically need the internet to function at its best. The net book is a much lighter model of laptop that probably doesn’t contain some of the heavy software that laptops and desktops can handle. The netbook is made ideally to do work online, all the time. Having a netbook and using in the cloud software is a dream when you have the right unit with the right connection. With Google’s release of their in the cloud operating system and office applications, a netbook is the perfect answer to using these light applications while staying connected to the internet.

A laptop on the other hand, is basically a desktop that is lighter, just as functional and portable. If I were to buy a netbook, I would probably not be able to use the regular heavy programs that I can on my laptop. For instance, using Photoshop and other Adobe Suite applications on a netbook may be the makings of a nightmare because the capacity of the netbook is lower and it would probably take forever to run just one of the programs.

A netbook is easily attached to an existing communications company that will provide it exclusive internet connection whenever and wherever it is. Having a netbook is basically like having a cellular phone with a service provider plan, except the connection is purely for the internet. Many phone companies, like AT&T or Sprint may make customers and special offer of getting a netbook with a connection, but with a two year lock-in period where you would be obliged to use that service. The upside is that with a low monthly fee, you can avail of a free netbook that comes with the service. Many times, deals like this is more cost-efficient for customers who basically live to be connected.

In general, netbooks are made much smaller than the usual laptop. They can fit in a handbag and basically function as a communications device rather than as a laptop. Since netbooks are smaller, they are lighter too. Since they are not too program-heavy, they generally run on Linux operating systems which are light and fast. However, there are netbook units that also reach the capacity of the regular laptop unit that are offered by Hewlett Packard, Acer or Dell for the more serious user who want to do serious heavy work aside from just surf the internet. Netbooks, in general, tend to be cheaper than regular laptops, which is why their popularity has soared for those who use laptops mainly just to get connected onto the World Wide Web.