Jim Tonkins asked:




If you have been shopping for a netbook recently, you may be surprised that a lot of the specifications are remarkably similar between the different units. The great majority of netbooks have a 10 inch screen, come with 1 GB of memory and 160 GB of hard drive storage. They usually come with Microsoft Windows XP, and have a built-in Wifi card. They almost never have a built-in CD or DVD drive, though you can add one on externally using USB.

THe reason for the uniformity of these specs is the constraints imposed by Intel and Microsoft. Intel provides the Atom chips that power most Netbooks. These are a less powerful (though energy saving) chip with a single core that are found in most models of netbooks. Intel has provided discount Atom chips in exchange for Netbook manufacturers agreeing to only use them in portable computers with 10.1 inch screens or less. Microsoft has a similar licensing arrangement: In order to get Windows XP licenses affordably, a netbook must not have a screen bigger than 10 inches, most not have more than 1 GB of RAM, and must not have a hard drive greater than 160 GB in size.

Since Intel and Microsoft are nearly the only choices for processors and operating systems, manufacturers are forced to agree to these guidelines. They enforce these guidelines in order to protect the profit margins of larger, more powerful and more expensive laptop computers. The good news for computer buyers is that you can get around many of these restrictions. Typically you are stuck with the smaller screen, but you can upgrade to 2 GB of RAM and a larger hard drive in most netbooks fairly easily and inexpensively.

Ida