But you see computing as a monolith. I don't, at least not often.
Just like you use your phone in a completely different way than a PC or a computer.
Early 2000s there was the sentiment of internet appliances. Inexpensive devices that do one or two things. The point was to search for recepies on your computer kitchen. Or a tablet to check your house webcams or doorbell.
By mid 2000s there was the view of "couch computing", basically something you have around the couch to do a quick search for something you view on the TV. In my version, that was the eeePC netbook which allowed me to search for people and companies I watched on the Discovery Channel or History channel, just to get more info about them.
No need to run blender or second life or whatever immersive application. So a 120 usd netbook was perfect device for the TV room.