The mini-laptop’s market niche got swamped by the iPad and the phablet, but netbook fans are funding a comeback Since Apple rolled out the first iPad in 2010, tablet computers have become so ubiquitous and cheap that netbooks, the mobile device category they effectively killed off, have largely been forgotten. The mini-laptops once were all the rage among students, writers and anyone else looking for a portable computer that could do a lot for a low price.