Dell putting an end to netbooks?
Posted on 15. Dec, 2011 by Albert Madison in Industry News, Netbooks
Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 netbooks were offered in a myriad of wholesome colors. Image: Dell
It seems like only yesterday netbooks were the talk of the of the computing world when it came to mobile computing, but now netbooks are getting the silent treatment from a growing number of consumers and PC vendors alike.
Dell has updated their online store, where Dell makes a ton of sales, so that netbooks are no longer offered for sale. If you go right now one of the two product pages for Inspiron Mini netbooks (1012 or 1018) you’ll find a message that says those models are no longer available for order online. Visitors to Dell netbook forum mydellmini.com spotted this change earlier today, and some were bummed out while others saw this coming.
What is Dell doing with netbooks going forward? Some believe that Dell is getting rid of their current crop of netbooks, each of which was introduced last year, to make way for some new Intel Atom Cedar Trail powered models. I tend to believe that is probably what Dell is doing by discontinuing their current netbooks. 2012 is right around the corner and that is when we’d be most like to see Dell introduce new netbooks that feature new and improved technology, and I hope better designs (none of the Inspiron Mini machines have been especially good looking in my opinion).
For the time being what is Dell replacing their netbooks with?
In place of netbooks Dell is offering up their low-cost Dell Inspiron 11z ultra-portable notebook for $399.99.
The Dell Inspiron 11z laptop features an 11.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) display, a 1st Gen. intel Core i3-330UM 1.20GHz (3M Cache) dual-core processor, Intel graphics, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB 5400RPM HDD, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiMAX mobile broadband, NO optical drive, USB 2.0/ HDMI/Ethernet ports, a 3-in-1 card reader, a 1.3MP webcam, a 6-cell 56WHr Li-Ion battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit.
The 11.6" Dell Inspiron 11z has simple yet compact design. Image: Dell
The 11.6″ Dell Inspiron 11z has a more powerful processor than the Intel Atom’s inside Dell’s discontinued netbooks, but the performance gap isn’t that great since the Core i3 inside the 11z is a low-voltage chip designed more for power saving than super performance. With that said you should expect to have some issues with lag and general sluggish performance if you’re used to fast full-sized notebooks and desktop computers.
However on the bright side at $399.99 the Inspiron 11z isn’t that much more expensive than a standard netbook from Dell (keep in mind the $399.99 price includes a $100.00 instant discount).
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One Response to “Dell putting an end to netbooks?”
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Adriana Jones
16. Dec, 2011
That definitely makes sense, the IPAD and laptops are still the way to go! I picked up an ez laptop table for the convenience of using my laptop on the go and at home. Here’s the lapeez table that I got if anybody wants to know more about it: http://bit.ly/vy3hNS. It’s always going to be a balance between usability and mobility with computer technology.