Netbooks: Too Big a Compromise for Travelers?
Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2, S12 netbooks
The biggest benefit that netbooks bring to the table, besides being dirt cheap, is the high portability factor. They weigh just 2-3 pounds, and are generally as small as notebooks can get. That makes netbooks perfect for business travelers. Or does it? Do netbooks compromise too much? I’m in the process of getting ready for a short business trip, and while I was all set to bring a 10-inch netbook along, I’m now thinking I might need a “full” laptop with me. My fear is that I will run into a situation in which I need the power a big laptop can provide, and find myself falling short with the netbook. Read on to see what’s bouncing around my head about this.
It’s important right off the bat to understand that my situation may be very different from that of a lot of business travelers. I make my living on the web — connectivity is king and content creation is of utmost importance. That content creation is the sticky part, as far as netbooks are concerned. Written content is no problem; netbooks can do that as well as any laptop. Audio and video creation are different matters, however, and most netbooks I’ve tried fall short in those areas.
Performance vs. Portability
I use a 13-inch MacBook as my primary (and only) computer for my work. I connect wireless I/O peripherals at the desk and have a big screen, too, but while mobile, the MacBook alone does everything I need. That means my decision as to which notebook to take with me on trips is between the MacBook and another portable computer. My choice at the moment is either the loaned Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 or the S12 netbook. The S10-2 is the most portable of all three devices under consideration, with the 10-inch screen and low weight. The S12 is only slightly less portable, being a little bit bigger and heavier than the S10-2. The MacBook is firmly in the least portable category weighing a couple of pounds more than the S10-2 and being a little bit bigger (although thinner). The netbooks win the portability category hands down compared to the MacBook. They both weigh 1-2 pounds less than the MacBook and both are smaller. Carrying them in my bag is very easy, given the size advantage.
So my decision process must take into account portability vs. performance. The two netbooks have Atom processors and definitely lose in the power category. Netbooks in general are good for most everything but in the areas they fall short performance-wise, they really fall short compared to a high-end notebook. I haven’t tried a netbook yet that could handle audio creation well, and video creation/editing is a pipe dream. If I end up needing to do either audio or video I will totally lose out with the netbooks. That’s my main concern when trying to decide if I should take one of them on my trip.
There is another factor that must be considered in the portability category, though, and that is battery life. Business trips often find extended periods away from a power outlet, so total battery life is very important. Both the netbooks are getting a solid five hours of battery life on a charge, about what I get on the MacBook. That would make the battery life a draw except for one important fact — I have a second battery for the MacBook. That’s my particular situation and may not apply to anyone else, but it is a factor in my own decision. Having the two batteries means I can get about 10 hours (or longer) while mobile, which is twice as long as either netbook. Sure it’s not a fair comparison given that I only have single batteries for the two netbooks, but that is a fact. The longer battery life begins to tilt the scales toward the MacBook in the portability category, even though it’s bigger.
The fact is, however, it’s not that much bigger than the netbooks, and what little extra weight it has is not a big factor in my gear bag. The bag won’t feel much heavier on my shoulder with the MacBook than it will with either netbook. I don’t work with a laptop in my hands so the weight is not a factor at all while working, just in the bag. So what it comes down to is if I feel it’s a better gamble to carry a couple of extra pounds in order to be able to handle anything I might need to do on my trip. It’s a lot easier decision when broken down concisely like that. It makes me wonder if netbooks, due to the hampered performance they provide, are truly the better choice for the frequent traveler?
The thing is, the Macbook isn’t big or cumbersome. My 15″ Macbook Pro comes with me most places where I don’t have to carry it around much. So, flying it goes in the wheeled hand luggage, or it’s in the boot (trunk) of the car. If I’m carrying all day then it’s the Mini 9 or Viliv S5.
So, I guess it boils down to how much, if any extra hassle it is to take a bigger notebook. A lot of the time it probably isn’t much.
It sounds to me you’re looking for the 13″ MBP performance in a netbook, an unfair request to make at the moment.
I’m not sure about your problems with audio creation on a netbook – my HP 2133 handles CD quality digital audio just fine, and that’s with Cool Edit Pro running on the VIA C7.
Web connectivity is easily doable on any device, but streaming audio and video is a whole new matter. Flash-heavy content will murder any device that cannot provide at least 128MB of video RAM – blame Adobe. If your needs go beyond webcam chats and youtube playback, you probably will be better off with a dual-core notebook with discreet GPU.
But at a mere 13″, you won’t get any better performance for the size than the MBP. Well maybe a new HP dv3 with T9900 inside, but that’s another discussion.
On the question of power, do netbooks have enough power and generally come with enough RAM to run MS Office products well without lag?
My sister needs to buy a laptop for work on the road when away from her iMac. I suggested a Macbook, of course, but should she consider a netbook if all she needs to do is run Office and online applications?
Thanks for any feedback…
Most I have tried will run Office fine. Not the fastest computers around but OK.
I have a 13″ macbook – I don’t really see the need to travel with anything smaller. I wouldn’t gain anything by using a 10″ machine vs a 13″ one.
Now when airplane seats get smaller and I can no longer open the macbook up then I reserve the right to revisit that statement.
Not sure if that’s a good analogy. Most photographers will bring all their gears along for their traveling (vacation, etc) and at the end they could only use one or two lens. I feel like this is the same case here if I am a frequent traveler. My MSI wind handles everything I use daily pretty well, except 720P (or above) video. I even use it for lightroom (sparingly) and picasa (frequently). Enough ram and keeping the infrastructure clean (don’t install too much crap apps) is important as well as doing frequent maintenance is key, I think, for a netbook. I believe win xp is light weight enough for 80% of the tasks. Is it worthwhile to get those 20% things done during your travel?
For your situation, the Macbook seems to be the no-brainer. I’m in a similar situation when I travel, except that my ‘macbook’ is a Dell XPS M1330. Roughly the same size, every bit as powerful, except that I don’t get anywhere close to 5 hours of battery life, and I don’t have a spare battery. My netbook of choice is the Asus EeePC 1000HE, which is *much* smaller than the M1330, and also gets easily 2x the battery life, if not more.
For personal trips, the 1000HE does the trick quite nicely – it has a sizable 160GB HDD so that I can offload photos and videos throughout the trip, and is capable of handling most of my blogging, which only really entails on-the-spot photo editing and word processing.
I’m actually facing the same issue on a trip that I’m taking in September – I’m actually tempted to carry along both, though I likely will end up bringing only one. The 1000HE is winning for now, based on the battery life and size, but being able to edit a bunch of high-resolution photos and then upload them in a timely manner is not looking good on that one – not yet, anyways.
An interesting quandry, no doubt. If we’re not buying these netbooks to take along on short trips, what *are* we buying them for?
The interesting thing is that the Macbook is double the weight, and triple, or more, the price. For my needs on the road, I am a netbook type of person preferring weight to being a power user. I can access the web, run MS Office documents.
Jimbo
While you’re struggling with your decision my P1620 and I will just enjoy our holiday next week.
Gordon
There is something I don’t understand: considered that in your office you use a big external monitor to work, why don’t you buy a “real” ultraportable (like the lenovo x200 or something like that, with a 12″ screen) to substitute the Mac AND the netbooks? You would get a powerful enough machine to work on everything you do, but still a laptop easy to transport and with very good battery life.
Is there something I’m missing?
Not at all. My decision process is centered around the three devices I have at my disposal right now. I’m not buying anything for this trip, I must decide from the available tech pool.
I found perfect netbook – iPod Touch
I don’t think the primary intention of the netbook was to replace your regular notebook or desktop. It was intended to be a couch-surfer or something to take to the coffee shop but not a full blown business machine.
I love to always have everything I needs in my laptop bag. My bag is a bit big but its a backpack and can carry a lot without much impact to me. And it will still fits a few days of clothing and will fit under an airplane seat.
I love my x200t (12″ screen) which may be a tad smaller than the MBP but just as powerful, maybe more
I don’t think I’ve used a netbook yet that would justify leaving the performance, keyboard and battery life (5-6 hrs) of my X200 behind. I would use a netbook on a SBUX run if I was only going to surf the web and write docs.
I think it’s time you got a Macbook Air …
I have an ACER Inspire One, 10″ netbook running Windows XP. I am able to do everything I need it to. I use Google Chrome and many web apps and OpenOffice.org and I have never had a problem. I can have music or a Youtube video going and not have any real issues doing anything else. I get about 6 1/2 hours out of it’s battery too. I haven’t tried to do video or audio editing though.
Like you said, it depends on the person. I can do everything I need to do with a very small, very light device. I do a lot of teaching at different locations, so it comes in handy. For others, a full on notebook computer may be necessary.
It’s just like smart phones – one size definitely does not fit all.
I have tried most of the current netbooks but the 10 inch screens proved just a little two cramped for regular use…and early 12 inch netbooks (I almost kept the Dell Mini 12) were just a little too weak on performance.
I was waiting for the Lenovo S12 until the news broke that the Ion version was going to be months away. My response was to pick up an ACER Timeline 13 inch. Same easy to carry 3.4 pounds as that Lenovo S12…but with a MUCH more useful 13.3 inch high def screen and amazing 8 hours of battery life (see reviews at places like Laptop Magazine and many other sites). It’s an ultraportable on the cheap, not as powerful and expensive and heavy as the Macbook and not as inexpensive and underpowered as a netbook….an easy to carry 3.4 pound compromise that speeds past all the current netbooks yet delivers a real 8 hours on one charge.
MacBook all the way if you’re going to do “real” work, regardless of the software you’re going to run. How productive can you really be staring at a 10″ screen? You’ll just get irritated. Can you even put a small netbook on your lap when you’re in an airport, in a crowded conference room, etc. and actually type with any sort of confidence? And if you bring a folding board or stiff book to act as a base, then that’s just another piece of luggage to haul around.
I’ve tried PDAs with collapsible keyboards, tablets (which were not bad), Windows CE devices (similar in size to netbooks)… at the end of the day, all were too underwhelming and ergonomically irritating to be productive.
Apple got it right – I have a MacBook Air now. They reduced it in the one dimension that makes sense. At the end of the day, you want to be comfortable and confident with your work – a generous keyboard and screen goes a LONG way. Now if you’re just on holiday and want to back up photos and check you’re email now and then, well, even a PDA or souped smart phone can take care of that now. But you need to do serious work, you need something that you use seriously.
Hi James, It seems to me that you do not really need a netbook or MID, as you are more of a PowerUser, with high-end needs, as oppose to casual needs.
I would stick with the Mac, and forget the netbooks/MIDs.
Just take your Mac, Mifi, Curve mouse, and all three phones.
James I need a bit of help in here plz!
Thanks for the post! That is exactly what I am going through right now!
I am thinking of the Lenovo U110. I have checked your previous posts and obviously you were so happy with it back then.
What do you think about the U110 Nowadays James! I need your opinion please because I am so close to order one. It got the power of a Laptop except for the slow Hard disk which I might change later on to SDD and got the portable small thin 10″ netbook size.
Thanks
The U110 is more capable than a netbook performance-wise and is a very portable notebook. It’s a nice system.
Sorry 11″ for the U110
Your decision in favour of the Macbook might be a lot harder in autumn when you can get an 11.6″ device using the AMD Congo platform or Via/Nvidia Ion platform.
Then you will have power and portability.
Bring both! That’s what I do.
Netbook (or iPhone) is easier to use in more social settings; laptop usually is at the hotel for when I need to do real work. On the plane it is a toss up (if in first class, then probably the laptop, if crammed in the back, the netbook is easier to manage).
James – I am facing a similar decision right now as I prepare for a trip to Houston. I am a huge fan of the Macbook & Mac OS – now on my second Macbook, having sold the first generation to a friend. I could bring my Dell Mini 9 (not getting used much lately) but I think the Macbook will be a better choice. I now have the presentation in Keynote and I have Keynote Remote on my iPhone. The slightly larger size and extra weight is worth it for me.
I agree with Ozone’s comments – well said.
The lack of netbook power is one of the reasons I still use my Fujitsu P1610.
It has the netbook form factor, but much more horsepower.
If I could afford the P1630, I’d purchase one of those next, rather than a netbook.
I travel a lot, and corporate applications such as Outlook (my OST is 2GB) would kill a netbooks Atom processor.
I recently ‘upgraded’ my netbook from the original Asus Eee 701 to a 1005HA. The HA cost $10 less than the original I paid for the 701 back when they first came out – and roughly $CDN800 less than the cheapest MacBook I could get. And frankly, adding size and, recently, robustness to the equation, the MacBook simply wasn’t in the running.
While I appreciate the screen and keyboard size of the HA, in some regards I miss the small footprint and relative ruggedness (and street cred) I enjoyed with the 701 – I tend to treat the HA (with its HDD) with a tad more respect – but I’ve never really felt hampered by the abilities of either device.
In this case, it’s the Macbook, since it’s a comparatively tiny 13 inches. The added weight vs all the other weight you’ll be hauling anyway isn’t a big deal, nor is the slightly larger size.
If we were talking a big and heavy 15 incher or larger, the pendulum would have swung heavily over to the Netbook side of the equation.
It also depends on what you plan on doing in any given situation. I rarely need to do heavy computational lifting while on trips, it’s mostly getting on the Net and maybe light office work – which you can do very well on a Netbook if you arm yourself with a modicum of patience.
Netbooks are a very viable choice for business travelers with ones average workaday needs. In your case, considering your everyday machine is so small, not so much.
I use LogMeIn to bridge the gap. I take my ASUS Eee 900HD with me (8.5 in screen), and use LogMeIn to work off of my desktop at home when I need power, data, or programs I don’t keep on the netbook. I keep the desktop running 24/7, so it’s available anywhere I have Internet access.
Although it might not be the best option it you’re using a laptop as your main computer, for those of us with desktops, virtualization is the answer.
I use my HP mini 2133 to do most everything. It can be slow at times but I have got used to it. Only thing I can’t do is stream video on it. Other than that, I can play 720p smoothly and use photoshop on it easily. Only find it unsufficent when making 3D modles.