The Pros and Cons of Purchasing a Netbook as a College Student

In the past several years, netbooks have emerged as a popular personal computing choice. Netbooks are small, internet-ready, low-cost laptops intended to be used with internet applications. Their low cost and portability have made netbooks a popular alternative or supplement to larger computers. If you are a college student, there are some reasons to consider purchasing a netbook. Here are some pros and cons of investing in a netbook as a college student.

Netbook Pro #1 - It Fulfills Your Most Basic Needs
What most college students need in a laptop is the ability to do word processing, spreadsheets, and powerpoints. For the vast majority of college students, a laptop that can fulfill these three requirements, as well as connect to the internet, should be sufficient. This is a perfect description of a netbook.

Netbook Pro #2 - Portability
The most common reason that people invest in netbooks is that netbooks are extremely portable and typically have a long battery life. If you have to walk around campus to get to your classes every day, a netbook can help to eliminate some of the size and weight of the load that you carry.

Netbook Pro #3 - Price
Netbooks are very cheap, being one-half to one-third of the price of full-sized laptops. If you want a laptop but are financially constrained, a larger netbook might be the best compromise for you.

Netbook Con #1 - Size
While the size of netbooks makes them attractive for college students that are on the go, their size can also be a disadvantage for those that must do typed assignments frequently. Likewise, if you are planning on watching movies on your netbook, you might be put off by the size of most netbooks.

Netbook Con #2 - Performance
If you are a computer science, math, or engineering major, you may need the ability to run more complex software than simple word processors and spreadsheet programs. Depending on what software you are required to use, a netbook might not be powerful enough or have the right operating system to run certain programs.

Netbook Con #3 - Storage Capacity
Some netbooks have a regular, higher capacity hard disc drive, while others have a solid state drive. Most of the netbooks that have the solid state drive have a significantly smaller hard drive capacity. If you are the type of person that likes to have lots of movies and music on your computer's hard drive, some netbooks might not have a high enough storage capacity for you.

At least for me, a netbook could never be more than a supplement to a larger computer. For college students that have desktop computers, a netbook might be a good portable backup to your main computer. Regardless of your situation, a netbook deserves some consideration. If you have any other thoughts on netbooks or college computing in general, feel free to leave them in the form of a comment. Thank you for reading!