A few definitions up front: Most people know what a netbook is, which is a small-form laptop/notebook computer. The nettop is the same thing in a desktop form, meaning a small-form desktop PC.
Right now those of us using traditional tower PCs are very used to the ATX or MicroATX form factor motherboard. It allows a fair amount of room to get inside and add or replace things like hard drives, RAM, video cards and so on.
However this may change sooner than we think in favor of smaller computer boxes.
CPU makers like Intel have proven that yes, you can get a decent amount of computing power from smaller processors that don’t emit as much heat. This isn’t to say that the smaller variants can outrun their bigger brothers, but they can keep up. It is the reason netbooks and nettops can even exist.
The nettop is going to be something that will become more common relatively soon, because they can be built inexpensively and sold at a substantially lower price. Netbooks are a hot seller because of this reason, and it stands to reason that nettops should also gain some good market share as good cheap low-cost computers.
So where does this leave the geeks that like to actually build computers? Are we doomed to use PCs that are never meant to be worked on, serving to be disposable appliances and nothing more (like the Mac mini)?
I don’t believe the traditional PC will ever fall out of the market completely, even if the small-factor boxes do replace the big ones we use now.
What I do believe is that we’re going to have to start getting used to smaller parts for our future desktop PCs. Instead of the 3.5-inch hard drive, we’ll be using SSD. Instead of ATX, we’ll use Mini ITX.
The parts aren’t really the problem, it’s the small-factor cases that are. These may prove to be nothing short of bash-your-head-into-keyboard irritating, especially if it’s the the type that is a snap-fit with plastic "teeth" and no screws. Usually a screw-less case is desirable, but not in this instance.
Fingers crossed, hopefully there will be geek-friendly nettop cases. I do believe this above all else is what will make the nettop easy to work on. If the cases are designed with easy-access in mind, then we can continue to do the same things we do now with our big boxes.
At present, I can say with certainty that the nettop in its current iteration is not geek-friendly in the slightest as it’s designed to be an throwaway computer appliance.
But hopefully future nettops will give us, the geeks who like to build, something to, you know.. at least crack open without breaking it?
