Samsung could be giving up on netbooks
Samsung could be hightailing it out of the netbook business next year, according to reports, with tablets taking over.
Samsung will reportedly stop making netbooks next year, ditching its 10.1-inch laptops to focus instead on more expensive ultraportable laptops and ultrabooks.
The news comes via our sister site CNET France, which quotes an email allegedly sent from Samsung to its trading partners.
Translated, it reads: "Following the introduction of our new strategy in 2012, we will discontinue our 10.1-inch (netbook) product range in Q1 2012, for the benefit of ultraportables (11.6 and 12 inches) and ultrabooks to be launched in 2012."
We wouldn't be surprised at all if Samsung stopped making netbooks -- these miniature laptops have evolved very little in the last few years, and while we were impressed by their low price and high portability when they first arrived on the scene, it's rare to find one now that offers a decent amount of processing power.
Other manufacturers such as Acer, Asus and Toshiba have already produced ultrabooks -- very thin and light laptops that don't skimp on processing power or battery life, built to compete with Apple's astonshingly thin MacBook Air.
The rise of tablets has also left netbooks feeling dated. Touchscreen marvels like the iPad excel when it comes to simple tasks such as web browsing, email and battery life, the very tasks that netbooks were built for in the first place. Apple's slate alone already outsells all netbooks put together.
Next year could see the death of these loveable little laptops, but will you mourn? Let us know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.