i don't think portable computers will ever take over full stop, netbooks, laptops, or otherwise


Although laptops are extremely useful for businesses, or people who need portability, a desktop, in reality, offers far more flexibility, due to interchangable hardware (if a laptop breaks, it has to be sent to a specialist  for repair, whereas a desktop even a novice can pop off the back and replace the cooling fan, or even probably the CPU with relative ease), and the fact that desktops are permanent. People like permanent thinga at the end of the day, and, whether or not they acknowledge this, i think it does play a part in the descision to buy a computer. You don't want a laptop that can be easily moved....easily moved is easily 'borrowed' (and far more people have laptops 'borrowed' than desktops :o )


Also, like you mentioned, gaming will be a large seeling point for computers for a long time,. as PC gamers will always want the best, which can't be achieved even by a gaming laptop due to the frequency of hardware updates. Factor in a low Battery Life whilst playing online, unless you want to kill the battery by leaving it plugged in 24/7, and the option isn't as pretty any more, certainly not for gamers, who are the only ones that encourage hardware developers to push in the first place. There isn't really a valid option for portable users though, as the heat produced by a gaming laptop is immense, and when you start to add large coolers to reduce that heat, you start to remove the portability, defying that logic in the first place