你用的是台式机还是笔记本？哦，不。这个问题已经有点过时了。现在很多人问的是：“你买的是什么上网本？”对，那些厚重的，看似专业IT的笔记本已经不流行了。眼下，轻便、小巧又价廉的netbook才是新宠呢。

Netbooks (also called mini notebooks or subnotebooks) are a rapidly evolving category of small, light and inexpensive laptop computers suited for general computing and accessing web-based applications.

上网本（netbook，也叫mini notebook或subnotebook）是一种正在快速发展的小型、轻便且价格较低的笔记本电脑，主要用于普通运算以及网络应用。

At their inception in late 2007 — as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost— netbooks omitted key features (e.g., the optical drive), featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced specification and computing power.

在2007年刚推出的时候，上网本被定位为低重量、低成本的小型笔记本电脑，制作时省去了光驱等重要部件，屏幕和键盘也相应缩小，同时在规格和运算能力上也有所降低。

In the short period since their appearance, netbooks have grown in size and features. By mid 2009, the specs are so similar that the average shopper would likely be confused as to why one is better than the other.

面世后不久，上网本已经在尺寸和特性上有了很大改进。到2009年中期的时候，上网本的规格已经和普通笔记本电脑很相近，普通消费者可能都无法辨别差异。

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（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

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