Only 13% of Small Businesses Buying Netbooks

Considering how slow businesses generally are to embrace new stuff, I'd stay 13% is fairly decent.

Well, I am not sure that netbooks are really a need in the workplace.

They are fairly convenient for some things, but are not very powerful.

If a user has to have a netbook and a workstation, it might just be better to have a laptop with a docking station.

I guess if you really want small size/weight and can live with the limitations in memory and graphics, then a netbook could be used ... but normally when I travel I can't think of many places I would take a netbook where I would not take my laptop.

"Only 13%" went through my mind as well. Being able to easily put your computer in your purse and go type under a tree is not really that valuable to most small businesses.

I wonder what number he was expecting to see.

Quoting:Well, I am not sure that netbooks are really a need in the workplace.

Probably more between workplaces.

> Probably more between workplaces.

The environment is becoming more available to thin clients. Not as utterly dumb as "terminals", a system where you store none of your information but that has to have the functionality to enable a full computing environment and THEN go get your data from the servers.

I agree, a netbook on the desk would be an awful thing. Keyboard too small, screen too small, and if you're already set up with everything on the server, going with a truly "thin" client could be cheaper than the netbook without the netbook's physical limitations.

I would say they are for traveling, for accessing and manipulating things far from home, where size/weight are the primary considerations.

If I'm going to go sit under a tree to think, I'm taking at most a pad of paper and a pencil. Maybe a few sheets of printed-out email or reports. That's a place to be quiet, away from a keyboard, not to drag a keyboard along just for the sake of having a keyboard.

> Probably more between workplaces.

Tomorrow's VAR Guy headline should be:

87% of unemployed people switch to netbooks!

Oh and as for the cruddy keyboard/screen problem, they've all got VGA and USB ports. Just add monitor/keyboard/mouse and you're all set. They're pretty slow at running XP mind you.....

> If a user has to have a netbook and a workstation, it might just be better to have a laptop with a docking station.

A netbook plus a desktop is still cheaper than a desktop replacement capable laptop and a docking station; by a considerable margin.

The problem is that they haven't been pitched to CEO's as the latest executive toy yet.

Though I agree that with the economy right now and business reluctance to change, 13% is actually an amazing stat.

Quoting:The problem is that they haven't been pitched to CEO's as the latest executive toy yet.

Whut?! I'd say 13% matches pretty closely with the percentage of white collar employees who are in management. At my previous company it was management (and only management) that used netbooks and small laptops. The rest got 15"-17" laptops or desktops.

> At my previous company it was management (and only management) that used netbooks and small laptops.

I haven't seen it at our company yet, or anywhere else where I've had access. I hope you're correct and I'm wrong.

I've seen quite a few netbooks in business. I've used mine as a desktop replacement. I am very used to the keyboard and I love the convenience and the small footprint on the desk. I boxed up my external monitor. I just wasn't using it, either. Nothing wrong with the screen at all.

Not powerful? I've found that the Intel Atom N270 at 1.6GHz benchmarks better than some chips with supposedly faster speeds. The hyperthreaded little processor is surprisingly fast. There isn't anything I can't do for business on this little box.

what caitlyn said

A couple of our guys use one, one is a sales guy, one a network technician. Salesman can carry the little bugger out and about easily and uses external monitor, etc, in the office. And that little laptop is so much easier to test and troubleshoot network connections than a full laptop, it's great for that. Really handy for testing wireless strength.

So if one was looking for a netbook where would you guys suggest?

@chalbersma: Sadly my Sylvania g Netbook Meso appears to be discontinued in the U.S. In other parts of the world it's the Amtek Elego and it is still sold. I've been thrilled with mine. Support with recent kernels is excellent. As I've reported before I recently installed Pardus 2009 and literally everything "just worked". The preinstalled Ubuntu Netbook Remix 8.04 isn't half bad either.

Good choices with Linux preinstalled would probably include the Dell Mini 10 with Ubuntu Netbook Remix. I know a lot of Linux users are very happy with the Dell products. HP has some Linux offerings as well.

> So if one was looking for a netbook where would you guys suggest?

In no particular order: The Dell Mini 10, the Dell Vostro A90 (the business equivalent of the Mini 9), the Zareason Terra A20, or the System76 Starling.

You can also pick up an Eee laptop from mwave.com with XP for $180 right now (undoubtedly until they're sold out), and reload it with your distribution of choice, but since that counts as a Windows sale I can't recommend it. The price is right though.