silly question warning: is a netbook just a small laptop?

[barthold58]

could someone please explain to me the differences between a netbook and a laptop? wikipedia Netbook - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
would agree with me that it is just a small laptop, and when i look online to buy
i find them in the laptop section and with no discernable differences inthe description, other than many seem to have lost the CD drive to make more space. is this is? can they really be just small laptops? and if so what is the point? can someone who has one please tell me how it has enhanced your life and what you use it for?? and why you cant just use a laptop? i am entirely baffled, to me it feels like having an extra house key that is little so it fits in some pockets easier... great but a little pointless no?

[cable man]

yes is small and no cd drive and the point is that its easy 2 fit in a bag..

[barthold58]

is that just it? a very portable laptop?

[cable man]

yep thats it.....

[unadkat]

I wouldnt buy a netbook unless you just want it for surfing the web and doing simple tasks like typing in word etc

I used one few days back and I pesonally find it slow to be honest.

I would rather invest in a laptop.

The Dual core netbooks are not effcient enough in my opinion and they do lag in speed.

[dandnsmith]

The term netbook was cooked up to cover a new breed of portable which was smaller (so almost inevitably had no CD drive) and lighter and less power consuming.

As a replacement for a desktop machine they would be useless, but for something really portable they have a place.

We have an Acer netbook, used for taking stuff to meetings (can be used for presentations), and on holiday abroad where we need only the light browsing and email facilities. This replaces an older laptop, far weightier and slower.