Comments on: Laptop shipments top desktops for first time; Netbooks a factor

Notebook shipments exceeded desktops on a quarterly basis for the first time ever with Netbooks from Acer being a deciding factor, says iSuppli.

[rtripathi]

I wanted to buy a Windows XP based machine for normal browsing and email etc, and Acer Aspire One with XP was the best way to get it.

[ckurowic]

netbooks are EFFING USELESS, pieces of absolute garbage.

[KGreenlaw]

I bought a Acer Aspire..they are the perfect Kitchen computer. Emails and browsing. Stays right on our counter. Would like to have another one that has a slot dvd-rom player and a bit better memory and video capabilities. Its potability is its greatest asset. I'm hoping Apple will come out with a 8.9" size system like the iPod Touch. It would be a huge hit in my house.

[SixVodkas]

While it may well fit right in with your kitchen decor, I highly discourage you from drinking your 'lil computer.

"Potable", it is not!

[Penguinisto]

Netbooks have their place and use - especially for the road-warrior types.

OTOH? they're about worthless for entertainment on any real scale (anything beyond simple games), can't do much with them graphics-wise, and they don't process large chunks of data so well. Since most of them also don't come with optical drives, playing a DVD on one is kinda problematic (though on-disk media works, depending on codec and etc).

Then again, it does have its uses - image storage during vacations, a way to quickly check email and surf for something, stuff like that.

One thing is for sure though - the desktop is dying as a consumer product. I use mine mostly as impromptu file servers these days, and for those occasions where I need a bit more 'oomph than my laptop can muster. It's more fun to have a laptop when sitting next to the missus (who has hers) than to be sitting halfway across the room from each other... so the laptop tends to give the best of both worlds, no?

[bdollerup]

Finally, yhe US has joined Europe where this happened in countries such as Denmark in 2005
;-)
I have faith that the desktop will never be replaced by the laptop completely, but it'll be very interesting to see what additional Atom's as well as the higher-end iCore7 will do for portable devices in general as well as desktops. It's also very interesting to see what the use of Atom and mobile CPU's will bting about. I guess where are on our way beyond a computer in every home towards a computer in every room + one for every member of the household.