2007–2012 · Hardware

The netbook era: small, cheap laptops that briefly drove PC growth

Last reviewed 5 October 2026

The Asus Eee PC started a boom in low-cost mini laptops that propped up PC sales, until tablets and thinner laptops took their place.

The Eee PC spark

Asus launched the Eee PC in late 2007: a 7-inch laptop with flash storage, a Linux-based interface and a very low price. It sold far beyond expectations and showed there was demand for a small second computer for email and the web.

Everyone joins in

Within a year almost every PC maker had a netbook. Intel’s low-power Atom processor, released in 2008, became the standard chip, and screens grew to 10 inches. Microsoft extended Windows XP availability for these machines, and Windows displaced Linux on most models.

Models such as Lenovo’s IdeaPad S10 range competed on keyboard size, battery life and price. During the 2008–2009 downturn, netbooks were one of the few growing parts of the PC market, and analysts credited them with lifting overall shipments.

Why they disappeared

Netbooks were limited by small screens, cramped keyboards and modest performance. The iPad in 2010 offered a better casual device, and thin, light laptops brought portability to mainstream machines. By around 2012 most major manufacturers had stopped making netbooks.

The category’s ideas live on in Chromebooks and in today’s low-cost, low-power laptops.