Why are netbooks so popular?

They are good for people who want a small and very portable computer for nondemanding tasks like word processing, email, watching videos etc. They are cheap (one can be had for as little as $200 or so), so that sweetens the pot. People that buy them are often students who can't afford a full-blown laptop and want something that can be easily carted around campus or people who want a small computer to surf in bed with. Some people would rather trade power for portability and price.

Mainly it's the portability factor due to their small size, but also (at least in the case of our netbook, the ASUS Eee PC 1000HE) the excellent battery life. Ours claims 9.5 hours, though under normal use it'll last at least 6-7 hours (Wi-Fi on, LCD brightness at a normal level). Price is also a big factor, of course. Contrary to another posting, you certainly CAN use a netbook for office applications. I'm running Windows 7 and Office 2007 on my 1000HE with no issues. I wouldn't recommend it for hours and hours of typing due to the smallish keyboard, but you can certainly edit a document or spreadsheet, work on a presentation, etc. As to your sub-question, "Why not just get a regular laptop?"... I'd say that most people who get a netbook don't get it as their main computer. It's more of a secondary or "companion" computer that they use to access information (i.e., the web) whenever they want to. In my case, I use my desktop PC for "real work" and the netbook for surfing when I'm watching TV or to keep up on email/Facebook when I travel.

1. Smaller. 2. Lighter. 3. Cheaper. 4. Great if you just want Internet access and basic application functions. If you're doing any serious work or gaming, they're probably not a great idea. But for toting around, school, 'Net, etc., they can be very useful.

As a netbook user... the cheap price is pretty attractive, about 60% of a regular laptop price. Plus it's small enough to carry along with my work laptop