
Tablets Ended the Netbook Era
Netbooks emerged around 2007 as cheap, ultra-portable devices for internet access, but by 2013 major makers like Acer and Asus stopped producing them as smartphones and tablets—especially the iPad—captured user demand; netbooks were underpowered (often around 1GB RAM and Atom CPUs), could not compete with modern laptops, and the line between netbooks and notebooks blurred, prompting a pivot to notebooks and tablets.













