Historically, netbooks were exploding in popularity because they were cheap and good enough. One factor to their cheapness was they didn't run Windows, but linu

Historically, netbooks were exploding in popularity because they were cheap and good enough. One factor to their cheapness was they didn't run Windows, but linux instead. MS then did something very insightful, courageous and (to me) disappointing: they sold Windows for next to nothing on netbooks (I think it was $20 or something). This stopped them being disrupted by linux. Sadly, netbooks faded quickly. Putting what others have said in a different context, what killed netbooks was the same thing that killed desktops and laptops: smartphones and tablets. They are cheaper, more convenient, easier to use - and powerful enough for what people need to do. Desktops, laptops and yes even netbooks overshoot mainstream needs. FWIW I'm currently using an eee PC 701 (i.e. the original netbook), and it's only the iPhone 5 that finally caught up with it. But that didn't stop earlier iPhones and androids from meeting most people's need better than it. PS: as for intel, I believe Atoms far too slow in themselves, quite apart from "PCI Express and digital video outputs" http://www.itexaminer.com/intels-atom-is-a-gem.aspx http://www.itexaminer.com/intels-atom-is-a-gem.aspx so I don't was Intel that killed them.