Four Reasons Not to Buy a Netbook

Many people have been begun to buy netbooks in the last year and a half. Netbooks have become a popular choice for people that are constantly on the go or for kids. However, there are some wrong reasons to buy a netbook. In this article, I intend to describe four reasons not to buy a netbook.

Reason #1 Not to Buy a Netbook - As a Replacement for a Laptop or Desktop

Many people base a netbook purchase on the belief that a netbook could replace a standard-sized laptop or a desktop. This belief is false. While netbooks can do some impressive things, they are simply too small to be worked on for extended periods of time. The screen and keyboard on many models would strain the eyes and wrists of any user if used for too long. I would not want to write entire essays or edit spreadsheets on a netbook alone, nor would I expect a netbook to be able to do things like video editing out of the box. These tasks are better performed on a laptop or desktop computer.

Reason #2 Not to Buy a Netbook - As a Replacement for a Portable DVD Player

Several times I have found myself in groups of people talking about how they could get a netbook and use it to watch DVDs for a bit more than $150 more than the price of a portable DVD player, yet with added computer functionality. However, many netbooks do not have a CD/DVD drive. If a person wanted to use CDs or DVDs with a netbook, he or she would have to buy an external CD/DVD drive. It's worth pointing out that a netbook could be used to watch movies on Hulu or Netflix. However, you would need to make an additional investment if you wanted to watch DVDs from your personal collection.

Reason #3 Not to Buy a Netbook - Because They're Cheap

Netbooks are cheap. They can cost between one-half to one-quarter of what full-sized laptops cost. Does that mean a person should jump on a netbook while they don't cost much? In my opinion, no. It's likely that netbooks will go down in price and will have more features than they currently do in six months to one year from now, because that's how the technology market is. If you're getting a netbook because you can't afford anything else, save your money for a little bit more and get a full-sized laptop. If you're getting a netbook just because they're cheap, wait until this winter and get a cheaper netbook with more features.

Reason #4 Not to Buy a Netbook - Because They're Cute and Trendy

While there is a certain quality about netbooks that makes people go "Aww...," that's not a good reason to spend between $200 and $400. And spending money to be trendy is very rarely a good idea.

While there are reasons not to buy netbooks, netbooks can be useful. Their sales reflect their utility. For example, netbooks can be used for writing short blog posts, checking email, making phone calls with Skype, and travel. If you are considering investing in a netbook, make sure that you are doing so for the right reasons. Have any other suggestions about buying netbooks? Feel free to share your thoughts in the form of a comment. Thank you for reading!