What is the difference between a netbook/notebook and a laptop, and which one should I get?

I would like a portable, Midget laptop or notebook/net-book. I don't know what the difference is, or which one I should buy. I need it to store word documents for school, to get on the internet, and possibly watch dvds. What should I do?

Public Comments

1. Notebook and Laptop are synonyms. They're the EXACT same thing. A netbook is a mini-laptop. They're generally cheap with poor performance and no optical drive meant only for web browsing and really basic stuff.
2. There is not much difference between them. the actual difference is the size of them. Notebook is Midgeter and thinner then laptop. In a notebook you get the dvd-rom as an eternal component and you have to attach it with a cable to your notebook. You can get any of them.
3. Laptop and notebook are pretty much interchangeable. Originally notebook was reserved for machines with approximately the same footprint as a sheet of A4 paper (meaning many modern big-screen laptops don't fit the bill) but that is less and less common nowadays. Laptops and notebooks nowadays have pretty much the same capability as a regular PC, with similar processors, similar capacities of memory and disk space and integrated optical drive. Netbooks are much Midgeter - typically the footprint is similar to a sheet of A5 paper. These are intended as ultraportable machines and compromises are made for their Midget size. The screens are Midgeter, the processor tends to be less powerful and the disk drive tends to be Midgeter capacity and usually solid-state. They also lack an optical drive since there is no room in the case for one.
4. First, let us start differentiating them with regards to their physical size. Normally, a laptop’s dimensions would vary from 10x8 inches (13” display) to 15x11inches (17” display) and up. Its thickness would range from 0.7-1.5 inches. It would weigh 3 to 12 pounds (1.4 to 5.4 kg) depending on its brand and model. Older models usually weigh heavier and possess wider dimensions. Netbooks, on the other hand have dimensions that would range below 5 inches to 13 inches. It is lighter compared to laptops because it usually weighs 2 to 3 pounds. For mobility’s sake, netbooks got the score. In terms of features, Netbooks have built in WiFi, Ethernet, USB ports and slots dedicated for memory cards. However, it does not have a CD drive or DVD drive. This is the reason why it’s relatively Midgeter and lighter compared to laptops. All of its peripheral devices are external and can only be connected via the USB port. Laptops, on the other hand have all of its peripheral devices intact. Newer versions of laptops also possess built in WiFi, USB ports, memory card slots, Ethernet, Bluetooth SD Card connectivity, built in webcam plus a lot more of features that a conventional netbook can’t support. Next in line, is with regards to its computing power. Netbooks available today, have processor speed that would range from 0.4 to 1.6 GHz and a storage size that would vary from 4 to 160 GB. Its RAM has a capability to process 0.5 to 1.5 GB of information depending on its model type. While laptops, have a processing speed of 1.6-2.4 GHz and a massive storage size which would vary from 20-250 GB of hard drive. Its RAM would range from 1 to 4 GB depending on the model. Obviously, laptops are capable to handle heavy applications such as video editing and hard core gaming. Netbooks on the other hand is ideal for accessing web applications, cloud computing, and Word processing applications. In practice, there is no clear definition as to what are the price boundaries of these two products. This is due to the computer companies’ freedom to state the prices of their products. However in standards, the ideal price of netbooks would range from $200 up to $500. Anything above $500 should be identified as a laptop.