If you would have asked me two years ago what I thought about netbooks, I would would have told you they were a good solution for your grandma or a slick looking waste of money.
If you would have asked me 7 years ago about a full sized notebook, I would have told you the same. They weighed a ton, were underpowered, and not upgradable.
A few things have changed (and a few things have obviously stayed the same)…
Options:
Notebooks have increased in power and decreased in weight which makes them a very attractive option. I still want a Macbook Air (contact me if you need to unload one. I will be happy to take it off your hands) and love the direction portable computing has been going.
In churches today, we see more pastors carrying laptops to meetings than ever before. They are great for writing sermons, making presentations, and surfing the web for pictures of cats.
Almost no one questions their usefulness. Back in the day (circa 2004) we worried about a broken screen because it cost the same as the laptop did to repair. While this is still true, you can get a decent replacement laptop for $600 instead of $1500-$2000.
You can also get a docking station and a monitor for a couple hundred, making the broken laptop a suitable desktop.
Enter: Netbook
In the last couple years, we have seen the netbook gain popularity. While they used to be VERY underpowered and lacked any functionality outside of web surfing, they have been very appealing to those who desire the small footprint and ultra-portability.
Thanks to the increase in web based apps, Intel Atom processors, and solid-state hard drives, we have seen their usefulness increase. With that, we have seen prices increase. Last summer I was able to get a full-sized laptop with a Core 2 Duo and twice the RAM for only $39 more than the average netbook.
The Debate
I work with many IT guys who have sworn off the netbook. It is too expensive to just throw away if something breaks.
With non-replaceable screens and other parts, they seem to be “not worth it.” With this opinion comes what we call the “end user.” These are the people who actually use the devices and who are requesting them as solutions. The ultra-portable appeal coupled with the seemingly lower financial hit to the department budget makes them desirable, at least on the surface.
If you think from an end users perspective, they see the dollar signs. Buying a netbook for four people in your ministry can save you around $200. To them, it looks like a win; especially if they have recently experienced a budget cut.
Thoughts?
Have you faced this issue? Have you incorporated or banned netbooks? How did your end users take it? What criteria do you use to determine who gets what?
And what are your pastors and staff using (if any)?
Steven Rossi says
iPads? 😉
Aaron Melton says
I’ve got the best of both worlds: Picked up a Dell Mini 10V on Craigslist for cheap and promptly installed Snow Leopard on it. Not as sleek looking as a Macbook Air, but cheaper, more versatile and gets you some street cred with the geeks. 🙂