Why is it that manufacturers and the technical media are obsessed with whether laptops will be replaced by notebooks or netbooks? I think this is yet another example of the disconnection between those that immerse themselves in technology and those that operate in the “real world”.

As someone that runs an IT support business I guess I should be equally obsessed with such trivia, but I have a constant battle to ensure that everything we do in The PC Support Group is focused on our clients needs and wants, not just on the technology... The technology is there to do a job!

And this is where my concerns lie with this obsession with these gadgets. In the real world users of this technology don’t care whether it’s a laptop, notebook or netbook. They all perform pretty much the same functions; it’s just a matter of size, weight cost and a few bells and whistles.

Whether in business or pleasure, all that users want to know is will it do the job? Obviously if they want to carry it around a lot then ideally it should be light but robust. If they want to use it a lot and retain their eyesight then a screen bigger than a postage stamp is desirable. Do they want it to cost £200 or £2000? OK. Stupid question!

So, let’s make it clear to manufacturers and technical media alike, we don’t care what you call it or how you market it, to 99.9% of people it’s a portable computer and we will choose the cheapest one that fulfils our needs and wants.