Then again I can understand why Sony might be confused, most people in the computer industry & media are blind too Netbooks too. I was just watching Cranky Geeks last week and when the topic came up about Netbooks. It seemed like not one of the panel knew anything except what came out in 2007: just a vague notion of 7″ screens, tiny SSD drives, a devices running Linux. Those guys are in the industry their supposed to be the bosses of the people testing, writing, and pontificating on tech and they have NO CLUE what a Netbook form the last six months looks like, what it includes, or even what sort of functionality to expect. A 7” netbook form 18 months ago is a whole different animal from a modern Lenovo, Samsung, HP or MSi ten inch Netbook.

But all of that misses the point. The thing that companies like Sony, Apple, and AMD refuse to understand is that the current generation of netbook models wouldn’t have INVENTED a new market segment if people weren’t satisfied with what they were getting.

However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for more expensive devices that go beyond the capabilities of a netbook. The ONE thing I would love to have, and for which would be willing to shell out much more cash is a true TABLET sub-notebook. Here are the requirements.

9″ or 10″ capacitive multi-touch LED backlit screen plus active pen digitizer.
No more than 2.5 lbs WITH battery that lasts 5+ hours of actual use.
Full keyboard with convertible screen for tablet mode.
Must fit in my purse. Small footprint is preferable to crazy thin.
Either a real 2.5″ SATA hard drive or fast SSD > 64 GB.
Full desktop operating system that supports true multi-touch. As to flavor, I’m agnostic. Mac OS X, Windows 7, or Linux are all fine with me.

This is clearly above the capabilities of a netbook, so I would be willing to pay well upwards of $1000 for such a device. Maybe even $2000, if it’s beautiful. I’m looking at you, Apple. The MacBook Air just doesn’t cut it.

Ever since Akio Morita died in 1999 the company has gone downhill, look at all the fiascos: The missed the LCD TV revolution and had to play catch-up.

This is pure sour grapes and the fact that Sony would want at least $1000 for a netbook which would never sell.

I have only had my Dell Mini 9 (Ubuntu) for about a week now, but have already discovered that its size, functionality, and long battery life make it a perfect companion for most of my needs.

Our other laptop is a Dual-core pentium and I use them both the same way so let me fart in the general direction of the 2-3 companies who havent gotten into the game and who are trying to tell us that we dont like what we have.

Im 6'4, with big meaty hands that can still palm a basketball and while the keyboard on my netbook isnt as confortable (my, my, quelle surprise), I can still do enough work while typing 20% slower than the 50wpm I do on a regular keyboard.

Would I type War and Peace on the netbook? No but that's why I have a 2K$ desktop with 130$ keyboard.
Of course, the mobility of the desktop isnt as good as the netbook either.

So, Sony, AMD and Apple (the company that best exemplifies “we know better than the consumer what they want”) can go bite my ass, I like what I bought for 289$.
Actually, I like it a LOT more than I thought I would and we are probably going to buy another one while the laptop we paid 1200$ for sits unused in a corner.

Will the market evolve over the next months/years?
Of course.
But a smartphone like the Crackberry or N95 have their use, just like a 9 inch netbook has its use or our 14 inch tank/laptop.
There will NEVER be one product that will replace all three formats because of the size differences.