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Intel's NetBook, the Poor Man's MacBook Air

Low-cost notebooks in a sleek and elegant casing

Apr 7, 2008 06:57 GMT  ·  By
Low cost does not necessarily mean poor looks
   Low cost does not necessarily mean poor looks

Intel's upcoming generation of NetBook is especially designed to deliver web interaction capabilities at an extremely low cost. Despite the fact that, at the moment, they are neither powerful, nor good-looking (remember the odd carrying handle of the Classmate PC), other system vendors are working their way to deliver ultra-thin and eye-candy devices.

Last week's Intel Developer Forum unveiled a NetBook device with an ethereal aspect, that can be regarded as a low-cost alternative to the sleek MacBook Air. A shift in the NetBooks' design is expected, given the fact that Intel is now broadening its market, from young schoolchildren to the business and even to the corporate sectors.

"This Netbook is running Linux...As you see, this doesn't mean an ugly design. It's a really nice-looking, stylish design," said Dadi Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's Mobility Group.

The new notebooks are not far from the MacBook Air in terms of specifications, except for Apple's proprietary OS. The Atom processor is designed to deliver clock frequencies of between 800 and 1.8 GHz, while preserving a small thermal footprint of about 0.65 watts, when working at a normal pace. In contrast, Air's Core 2 Duo chip will draw about 20 watts of power.

This will not only affect the system's thermal stability, but will also diminish the battery's operation time, an issue that has been left unanswered by modern technology until now. Less heat also means that the heavy and bulky cooling elements can be stripped down for enhanced portability.

More than that, the vast majority of NetBooks will use solid-state media for storage, although the 2Go notebook will follow the conventional HDD line. It's true that the NetBooks will come without a built-in optical drive, but so does Apple's MacBook Air. This will allow manufacturers to keep the manufacturing costs to a minimum, and will increase the battery lifespan.

The biggest issue is the fact that NetBooks will come with significantly smaller displays, ranging from 7 to 9 inches, while the Air comes with a 13-inch LCD screen. However, the selling price is proportionally reduced: you can purchase a NetBook for about $300 and not $3000, the MacBook Air's price tag.