Comments on: Apple’s netbook and why we’ll never see it

By: Will Apple partner with Verizon on a tablet? | The Loop

Will Apple partner with Verizon on a tablet? | The Loop — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:32:39 +0000

[...] clear that the tablet is Apple’s answer to the industries netbook. I have already argued that Apple will not release a traditional netbook in favor of a [...]

By: Welcome to the OS wars Google, and good luck | The Loop

Welcome to the OS wars Google, and good luck | The Loop — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:28:51 +0000

[...] Of course, the other great small device OS is Apple’s Mac OS X, but I don’t think we’ll ever see that on a traditional netbook. [...]

By: Moeskido

Moeskido — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:54:46 +0000

Of course a company with over $25 billion in the bank and design smarts would develop a product just to see how unproductive the idea for it was. I’d love to know how many other thought experiments they’ve worked out over the years by building them.

Apple’s netbook would be the best in its class, but it would be ultimately unprofitable (think of the support costs from cheapskate netbook users who can’t RTFM) and less than elegant, like the mini.

By: dbtc

dbtc — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:44:50 +0000

I’m a mac fan. Have been for 20+ years. Last month I bought a Dell 10″ netbook for $390.00 new. I didn’t want to lug my 15 MacBook Pro on a trip to China we were taking. The Dell was great in size and weight. We were able to surf the web when available and email. I loved the physical hardware and what it offered. But in the end it was not a Mac. I returned it yesterday before the return period ended. If Apple had a netbook with the same specs and the Mac OS on it I would get one for traveling to compliment my other Macs.

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:22:30 +0000

It is my opinion that 99% of the people out there that say they want a “netbook” simply mean they want a regular laptop that costs less than $500.

The MacBook Air IS Apple’s “netbook” – they just charge a little more. Oh yeah, they also don’t cripple it down into a “useless for anything more than emailing” pile of silicon.

Imagine if Apple had to come-up with a “netbook” as compared to the Windows netbooks out there:

The Apple NetBook
2ghz, 256MB RAM, 40GB HD, 10″ screen

Sorry, but it can’t run iMovie, iDVD, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, MS Office, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat or Flash. No CD or DVD burning capabilities at all. No USB, Firewire, Display or Ethernet ports either.

But hey, it only costs $499. SUCH A DEAL!

No thanks. I can get a sub-$6,000 car brand new – doesn’t mean I would actually want to own one though.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:44:26 +0000

Went to Fry’s on Sunday and saw the netbooks they had on sale. Horrible. I’d rather just use my iPhone to do email when I can’t be bothered with a full-sized computer.

Apple is on the right track. Could it be they’re waiting for good quality voice to text? It appears there are bugs in the new voice controls on the iPhone 3GS, so I’m guessing that’s going to be the hold-up to a keyboard-less tablet.

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:44:37 +0000

In my mind’s eye (which often lies!!) I pictured, on the Apple desk mentioned above:

1) a small (netbook/notebook) computer with a pico-projector instead of (or, actually, in addition to) an LCD screen,

2) an optimized version of OS X (a la iPhone),

3) a touch-screen keyboard (also a la iPhone)

All three of these would work well with a tablet/netbook, no?

I think those would change the game sufficiently to possibly warrant Apple’s Mac moniker.

They could use this to streamline their product line thusly:

Desktop
Laptop
Tablet (or iPhone Pro??)
iPhone
iPod

But I agree, why bother getting into it unless they’re really gonna clean up with their offering?

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:50:30 +0000

Apple’s prototype, if in fact it exists, isn’t “just like every other netbook.” Even as a prototype, this is what Apple doesn’t want to build, what Apple has to transcend. I don’t think that the iPhone prototypes were just like every other Motorola or Nokia cellphone. What would have been the use of such a prototype?

If Apple is at work on a netbook competitor, it will try to solve the product’s perceived problems: cramped keyboard, very small screens, terrible software, in all, bad user experience. Apple’s prototype, if it exists, has to be fundamentally different from the traditional netbook. Cook’s statement tells it all: “And if we can find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, then we’ll do that.” You don’t make a contribution by slapping an Apple logo on a MSI Wind and loading OS X on the poor thing.

This is better left to end users.

The MSI Wind becomes the Apple MacBook Nano:
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/11/11/the-msi-wind-becomes.html

By: Dave Barnes

Dave Barnes — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:48:45 +0000

I saw a promo today for a refurbished AirBook for $999.
I paid $1900+ including sales tax.
The AirBook is a very “nice” computer.
I know it is not $399, but seriously, $999. Very good deal.

By: KiltBear

KiltBear — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:06:15 +0000

I don’t really need a netbook, I have my iPhone… what I do need is to be able to use a bluetooth keyboard with my iPhone, like one of those laser keyboards the size of a pen that projects the keyboard onto any flat surface.