Call it Netbook, Smartbook, or “Low-cost small notebook PC” - It is Great for Linux

You say potato I say; are we really talking about this? At Computex this week we saw two new computing “categories” created. It has long been marketing 101 in the high tech world to try and define a category of computing based on metrics that favor your own particular market position of unique feature set. That is what is going on today in the great netbook/smartbook/low-cost small notebook PC debate. Let’s look at each of these and try and sort this out.

First, starting with “netbooks” you have what is essentially a “low-cost small notebook PC” but is much easier to say. Asus and Intel pioneered the use of this term in conjunction with the Eee PC and Atom processor respectively. Netbooks are generally a portable low cost PC with a smaller screen size used for accessing the internet and media consumption. Lately, however, most “netbooks” are considered fully functional PC’s capable of being a real productivity tool. My hunch is that the netbook name is the one that will stick. It is easy to remember and sounds so much better than “cheap PC.”

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