Netbooks are currently very popular, and were a hot gift this holiday season. But are the tiny, stripped-down computers really the future of consumer laptops? According to the BBC, some technology experts think that the netbook may have already peaked–and most of what people seek out netbooks for today, they may use other devices, including tablets, in the future.

Many contemporary netbook models run Windows XP or Windows 7 which has forced the specifications, and price, upwards. Many, he said, now cost at least [$550], a figure close to that for a more capable full-size laptop.

What people are looking for now, he believes, is a machine that can keep up with the demands of contemporary web users – far more than the basic e-mail and web browsing that made the first models so appealing.

“As soon as you want to do anything else you hit the same problem, it ceases to work,” he said. “It does not have the power.”

If you own a netbook, do you find that there truly are limits to what you can use the machine for? Are they really suitable for what most users need a computer for?

Technology changes ‘outstrip’ netbooks [BBC News] (Thanks, Stannous!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.