The main difference between a netbook and a laptop. A small comparison of laptops: the pros and cons of each type of device

Every day the world of portable electronics and electronics is becoming more sophisticated and new models of compact personal computers are entering the market. Many buyers pay attention to the fact that the Internet and specialized shops are increasingly drawing the line dividing laptops into two big categories - laptops and netbooks. But not all users know what is the main difference between a netbook and a laptop. This article will tell you about the features of these portable computers and will reveal to the reader their main purpose.

Before we begin to list the main differences of the netbook from the laptop, let's take a short look into the history of portable computers. Laptops (in the west they are often called laptops) appeared much earlier than netbooks. In fact, they had to become a full-fledged replacement for stationary PCs, but with the difference that it was easy to move the laptop to another location, and even during this move it could be turned on by an autonomous power source.

Over time, laptops are divided into several groups, in many respects depending on their purpose. Even in our time, laptops can be conditionally divided into budget, office, gaming, high-performance models and so on. Some of the laptops are able to completely replace bulky stationary personal computers, and some seem to be designed to be used only on the road. With the development of technologies and the ever-increasing integration of the Internet into the life of every progressive person, it became necessary to create a compact portable PC with which it would be possible to solve the problem of access to the network and office applications from virtually anywhere. This is how the younger brothers of laptops appeared - netbooks.

The main difference between a netbook and a laptop is in the field of its use. The netbook is a compact device for accessing the simplest (mostly office) applications and the Internet, while the laptop can completely replace a stationary computer and solve a wide range of tasks set by the user.

There are a number of features on which one can easily distinguish a laptop from a netbook. First, it's the size. If laptops with a diagonal screen less than fifteen inches in our time on the market are extremely rare, then for a netbook, this figure does not exceed ten to twelve inches. The advantages of the netbook are in compact sizes and weight less than two kilograms. At the same time, more bulky and heavy laptops will please users with better displays with a much larger diagonal.

Due to the difference in size, there is another fundamental difference between a netbook and a laptop. In more compact laptops, you can easily place more of a powerful "stuffing". Therefore, laptops are much more productive than their compact brothers, who are forced to settle for simple and small-sized processors that do not need large-scale cooling systems. For the same reason, all netbooks are deprived of drives for reading and writing CD / DVD - they simply do not have a place in the miniature case of the baby. But this difference of the netbook from the laptop leads to one more significant difference. Due to the more powerful "hardware", as well as the availability of a cooling system, a DVD drive and a larger display, on a single battery charge the laptop can hold no more than two or two and a half hours. At the same time, a netbook of one battery charge will last for eight to ten hours.

Before buying a laptop computer, it should be noted that the difference in cost between a laptop and a netbook is quite significant. If a modest netbook for work with office programs and the Internet surf can be purchased for two hundred dollars with a small, even a budget laptop is unlikely to cost the buyer less than four hundred dollars. Do not forget that the netbook and laptop, the differences between them are quite significant, designed for completely different purposes. It is enough to clearly formulate why you need a portable computer, as a decision about what to choose will prove to be obvious.