I'd add the move from feature phones to smart phones and later tablets. Early adopters were getting them 2007/08, 5 years on from that the platform was well on its way to maturing and with a broader range of hardware and the software ecosystem was moving to target it too. Then there's the question of what form best suits the usage the tasks the netbook audience have, if you're doing the very basic browsing/comms tasks, why take a comparatively big slab when a 4-5" will do, and if you do need a portable PC why constrain yourself to a weak system, netbooks were in no-mans-land.
perhaps, but chromebooks still come in laptop sizes these days. Other than a few stragglers (e.g lenovo duet), the majority of chromebooks are 12-14 inches.
If you are chasing the form factor, macbooks are serious competitors with really good battery life and tactile feel.
The beauty of netbooks was that ~10 inch form factor. Really the perfect companion device without needing a special bag to carry.
In many ways netbooks were a over a decade too early, and came right before the mobile hardware computing boom.
Netbooks are still not feasibile today, modern web design has made smaller lower res displays completely unusable today.
Tech Companies are trying to push foldable phones and tablets into this niche - but there was always something nice about a keyboard.
Yes, they seemed like a good idea - they were really cheap, and had decent battery life for the time - but the compromises were such that you really wouldn’t want to buy another netbook if you could. After the first few releases, the MacBook Air became what the non-cheapskate buyers of netbooks wanted.
> Netbooks didn’t need Microsoft’s help in dying. Nobody bought more than one of them, the experience was that bad.
If I remember correctly Microsoft put a limit on the HW specs for getting those cheap Windows copies while simultaneously making sure they all shipped with Windows which did not run that well on that low spec hardware. I think this is a huge part why this category died that quickly.
On the other hand there was also just general technological progress happening, "full size" notebooks were generally getting a lot more compact and lightweight so there was less need for that separate category.
I was implying that the answer has to be nostalgia. Ewaste didn't stop being produced some time in the early 2010s. There's always newer ewaste to look at.
You can buy more modern laptops made as recently as 2020 that are at least an order of magnitude better in every single way (even including weight) on Amazon and eBay for about $150 USD. They're lightly used and all hardware is supported without any fuss including the touch screens, etc. They're even cheaper if you buy them in bulk. These are institutional selloffs (schools, offices, government, etc.).
i didn't even realized they are dead, was looking for a cheap one for running my calendar server and couldn't find a single one. I had one it was really handy
As far as cheap, low-spec, disposable laptops go, Chromebooks are the spiritual successor to netbooks.