An IT Briefing produced by Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise Sponsored By: Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise By Craig Mathias ©2010Dell Craig Mathias is an internationally recognized expert on wireless communications and mobile computing technologies, a well-known industry analyst, and frequent speaker at industry conferences and tradeshows. Craig is also a principal with Farpoint Group. The Farpoint Group is a wireless and mobile advisory firm, based in Ashland, Mass. BIOS This IT Briefing is based on a Dell/TechTarget Webcast, “Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise.” This TechTarget IT Briefing covers the following topics: • What is a Netbook?. .1 • Market Drivers. 3 • Technological Innovations . 3 • Netbooks and Mobile Strategy . .5 • Netbook Limitations . 6 • The Era of Info-centricity. 8 • Operating System: Linux vs. Windows. 10 • Netbooks and Security . 11 • Mobile Device Management Lifecycle . .12 • Conclusion. .13 • Common Questions . 14 Copyright © 2010 Dell/VMware. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, adaptation, or translation without prior written permission is prohib- ited, except as allowed under the copyright laws. About TechTarget IT Briefings TechTarget IT Briefings provide the pertinent information that senior-level IT executives and managers need to make educated purchasing decisions. Originating from our industry-leading Vendor Connection and Expert Webcasts, TechTarget-produced IT Briefings turn Webcasts into easy-to-follow technical briefs, similar to white papers. Design Copyright © 2004–2010 TechTarget. All Rights Reserved. For inquiries and additional information, contact: Dennis Shiao Director of Product Management, Webcasts [email protected] Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise Since their introduction in 2007, small form What is a Netbook? factor netbooks have experienced a strong demand and growth rate as consumers and Netbooks are evolving and changing, and business users adopt them as highly portable have been referred to by other names, like primary and secondary systems. Shipments ultraportable smartbooks and mobile of these systems have nearly doubled, from Internet devices. As a result, there may be about 16.4 million in 2008 to an expected some confusion as to what exactly is a 32.7 million in 2009. Users are attracted by netbook and the different netbook classes of their low price, which is usually under $650. computers. Let’s start with the clamshell They provide easy access to Web-based form factor. It looks a lot like a small applications. They have a long battery life, notebook computer, generally weighs about a and a reasonably sized screen. kilogram (two-to-three pounds), and almost always has a low voltage processor. The Intel While initially targeted at consumers, Atom has proven to be very popular. There businesses especially like these small are some compromises there, but it runs the systems, because they are portable and can full PC-oriented instructions that support a be used to extend IT resources and PC architecture. Generally, hard drives are applications to a wider group of people limited to about 150 GB, so a lot of these within an organization. products have solid state storage. Between 8 and 40 GB is pretty typical, so storage is Despite the attraction, though, netbooks do much smaller than you find in a typical have their limitations in terms of processing notebook. There’s no built-in optical drive, power, storage, and application capabilities. because we’re optimizing for size. Even their convenient size can be a drawback in some cases. In selecting an appropriate Generally, screens range from 7” to 11”. system, users first have to look at what they Sometimes, you see them a little bigger, want to accomplish in terms of both personal sometimes a little smaller, but it looks like and business objectives, and then find the 10”, 11”, and 12” are proving to be the most right system to match meet their current and popular. The keyboards are also smaller. future needs. In many cases, netbooks may Some people don’t have a problem with that, not be the best choice for a primary mobile while others are going to find that a little less computing platform and may be better suited convenient, but it’s definitely better than your as a secondary or supplemental system for typical smart phone with the two-thumb lightweight, on-the-road productivity. typing technique. Generally speaking, there 1 IT Briefing: Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise Sponsored By: What is a Netbook? • Clamshell form factor (Some tablets) •1+ kilograms • Low-voltage processor (e.g., Intel Atom) •1-2 MB RAM • Up to 160 GB hard drives (or 40 GB Flash drives) • No optical drive • 7- to 11-inch screens • Smaller keyboards • No expansion slots (PC Card, ExpressCard) • Includes WLAN • Some optional WWANs • Windows XP (Home) or Linux (Windows 7 possible) • Bigger than a MID; smaller than a notebook Source: Farp oin t Group Figure 1 Figure 2 Netbooks: Key Technologies Processors • High performance • Low power •Small Displays • Inexpensive • Less power • LED backlighting Storage • Cheap hard drives • Cheaper SSDs Wireless • No-compromise Wi-Fi • 802.11n Power • Cheaper batteries • Improved batteries • Power-conservative circuitry Source: Farp oin t Group 2 IT Briefing: Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise Sponsored By: are no expansion slots. You’ll have a couple If you’ve got a smart phone that has a good USB ports, but you’re not going to find PC browser, you can do e-mail, but you don’t get Card or ExpressCard. Wireless LAN is built- a lot of screen, and you definitely have a tiny in, including 802.11n, in many of the newer keyboard. Netbooks are a nice step up from models. Some of these also have built-in that. In terms of pointing and clicking, all of optional wireless WAN. You’ll often find them now have touch pads and the usual them sold at a subsidized price by the cellular buttons, and it’s very similar to using a carriers, so the convenience of anytime/ notebook. If you can use a notebook, you can anywhere broadband Internet access is also use a netbook. there. In terms of operating systems, you’ll find Windows XP Home, although we’re I have several large notebooks that I use in starting to see Windows 7 as well. Linux has the office, but I don’t like to travel with them also been popular, but somewhat less than I because in general they weigh on the order of thought it would be. These, in general, are five, six, seven pounds, and they’re fairly large bigger than a mobile Internet device, which and bulky. I need a bigger bag to put them in. are larger than handsets and haven’t proven What I get in the netbook is the convenience to be very popular. They were a novelty a few of high mobility. I get a very familiar years ago, but still smaller than a notebook. operating environment. I prefer Linux but, And, that in a nutshell, is what a netbook is again, Windows is a possibility as well. You all about. get a full desktop operating system, which is significantly different than the experience you Market Drivers have on a handset, and of course all of the desktop applications. Anything you do on the From both a technology and an application desktop, in general, you can do on a netbook. standpoint, netbooks are hot. More than 10 million have been sold in the past year or Technological Innovations two. The primary market drivers are their size and weight. They are also oriented towards Advances in processor technology are mobility and longer battery life. The price has obviously important, especially in smaller been a factor as well. devices, and especially when it comes to lower power requirements. But other But, ultimately, they’re a matter of technology advances and tradeoffs have convenience. Like everything else in mobility come together to create this new class of and mobile computing, it’s all about system. It’s not just about processors, convenience -- having access to the though I do think the development of the information that you need, where and when Intel Atom and a few of the other very low you need it, over the most appropriate device voltage, battery conservative processors were that’s available at that moment in time. We a key motivator in bringing these products to can surf the Web on our handsets these days. market. Intel’s Atom is known for reasonably 3 IT Briefing: Netbooks vs. Notebooks: Matching Systems Form to Function in the Enterprise Sponsored By: high performance. It’s definitely not the same performance there, and also brighter and level of performance that you get with a Dual- clearer screens. Core Pentium, for example, but these consume very little electrical power. They are And, as I mentioned previously, wireless. It very kind to your battery. They are physically used to be very expensive and difficult to small themselves, they do not generate a lot build something like 802.11n, which involves of heat, and they are inexpensive. So, vendors multiple antennas, into something as small started looking at these processors and said, as the netbook. Today, that’s not a big “What can we build around them?” And, then technical challenge. they started asking, “What other technologies are going to be available?” So, all of these have come together in a very convenient and low-cost form factor, A few years ago 160 GB would have been surprising a lot of analysts with what can be quite exotic.