a reader (no@thanks.com) on 2/26/09 wrote:
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>>The same way netbooks are likely to cannibalize laptops
>>more in a down economy where a cheap netbook is
>>picked over a more high-end laptop, that same way I suspect
>>that you're going to find places that just decide to go
>>with a cheap x86 server (possibly one they already had:
>>I'm not saying that this will be a sales uptick for x86),
>>instead of moving up to something fancier.
>
>Not going to happen. Just saw Toshiba laptop for $369 at local Fry's, 15.4" wxga/2GB/160GB/pentium
>DC. Nobody is even looking at the netbooks.

Most cheap laptops I've seen have around 2 hours of battery life, and that's pretty lame. But many cheap netbooks have 6 to 10 hours of battery. And most cheap laptops (at least around here) aren't really, really portable. They can be quite heavy and usually require their own bag, but netbooks usually fit inside a purse or backpack, for example. But nothing, besides cannibalization, stops manufacturers from using Atom or Nano platform with larger disks or screens.
In the desktop arena, most desktops are already way overpowered for typical use by most people (both in performance and consumption), and in the end are basically just big empty boxes with some fans, since most people don't have to use any expansion slots anymore due to almost everything they need being already integrated in the motherboard.
Artificial market segmentation is a pain.