<p>Tablet PCs are undeniably far below the level of popularity that netbooks currently enjoy, and have always been and seem certain to remain a niche product, so I stand by my assessment. Also, since when is ANYONE paying attention to what Microsoft is doing as a predictor of upcoming computing trends? My apologies if you’re one of the 9 people bitter that you bought a Zune and filled it with music from the defunct MSN Music store. ;)</p>
<p>Tablet PC’s relative lack of popularity and slower development cycles isn’t really an argument against them, mind you. Get what works for you. However, it is indisputably true that current netbooks on the whole have better battery life with lower cost, lower weight, smaller size, etc. than tablet PC’s. Are there some current netbooks with only marginally better battery life? Of course. On the whole, however, their battery life is superior. Approaching 8 hours of real world usage on 6-cell batteries is impressive, any way you slice it. Also, most 10" netbooks after the first generation have keyboards that are at least 90% the size of “full size” keyboards, with many even larger than that. Typing is not a problem whatsoever, unless you have massive hands. </p>
<p>If portability is your concern, netbooks are definitely the way to go. You’re going to pay more for a Tablet PC that may be more powerful, but is power what you need for a portable machine that you’re likely typing, looking at spreadsheets, and possibly surfing the 'net on? Especially when it comes at the cost of size, portability and battery life? Plus, keep in mind that tablet PC’s are still far below the specs available on decent laptops. </p>
<p>For your purposes, it seems like netbooks win in a landslide. I’ll see what Microsoft is up to, though, and get back to you.</p>