Are netbooks shortlived?

Are tablets on the rise?

Since the iPad, I've seen less and less of them. The tablet market is starting to boom a bit, first with the iPad, then Samsung's tablet, then you've got RIM jumping on the bandwagon with their tablet PC. Educational computer company RM have recently made the RM Slate which is being rolled out to schools that want it.

Less netbooks are being made it looks like, as hardware and software manufacturers are keen to stay on the tablet trend. Because let's face it, there's only so much you can flog the netbook. They have a hardare limitation - 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM, whereas tablets don't so there's a much freer market for expandability.

In my opinion, netbooks are a little shortlived. They're slow and only have the most basic version of Windows 7 (Windows 7 Starter), or Linux, if you want a different interface and don't want to do much like install programs - some of them require a little programming know-how. The tablet has a proprietry OS (Apple iOS4, Android, Windows Tablet) and apps can be made specifically for them, although only through the App Store for the iPad.

Okay, I'm being a bit cynical, as netbooks do have their uses when you're on the move but the problem comes with internet access on the move. On a netbook you have WiFi, however the problem arrives when you try to find a WiFi hotspot, especially a free one. Depending on where you are there probably isn't one. One of the only ways of getting internet access on the move like this is with a dongle from a mobile broadband provider, but it's impractical as it's sticking out and can easily break. The tablet in most cases has a space for a SIM card on a mobile broadband contract as well as WiFi so even if you are outside a WiFi hotspot zone you can still get internet.

I want your opinions - Netbook or tablet?