For all the negative press that netbooks get these days, it is certainly interesting to see school shoppers opt for netbooks rather than Macs. Macbooks are wonderful laptops. They are not only powerful and energy efficient, but they come with lots of free software to help students get their work done without having to spend hundreds of dollars on additional software packages. But Macbooks are premium laptops. They are not recession friendly by any means. And they are somewhat of an overkill for students who don’t plan on doing anything other than using Excel, Access, and Microsoft Word.

As much as Apple has tried to position its laptops as portable and powerful, Netbooks are much smaller and more portable. And they cost only a fraction of what it would cost to buy a Macbook. Netbooks are energy efficient as well. Some are already offering as much as 11 hours of battery life. It’s not hard to see why students are getting netbooks instead of Macs. Not only they get to save a lot of money, they can spend it on books or other needs. Buying a Mac can take a big chunk out of your college budget, so as someone who’s been there and done that, I can tell you that netbooks are a good bet if you want to get through college without having to pay $2,000 for your first laptop.

Netbooks are not for everyone, and they have their limitations. They are not made for gaming or watching high definition videos. But if you are hoping to blog, tweet, create presentations and more, they are a good bet. As more people struggle to keep up with their bills, netbooks are going to become even more popular. But even in the absence of the recession, netbooks would be decent gadgets to own.