More Details on Next-Generation iPhone? 3G Netbook Due This Summer?

[cswiger1]

i'm getting married soon (kinda), and i just looked into what it would be like to switch to AT&T from verizon in order to have the iphone for me and my lady.

...man would that suck

[kingtj]

A subsidized $99 netbook is completely possible. By contrast, why would people pay $999 for an Apple branded netbook under some 2 year AT&T contract, when a full-blown Macbook is around that price with NO subsidies?

Netbooks are supposed to cost LESS than standard notebooks.

But I highly doubt any $99 netbook is going to come with OS X or an Apple logo on it. I've read other rumors about AT&T considering 3g capable, subsidized netbooks -- but it was in reference to Linux-based systems.

I think people are getting things mixed up, reading this random list of rumored AT&T partnerships that includes so much iPhone-related stuff, and assuming it ALL relates to Apple.



Any bets that rumor was supposed to say $999?

[AidenShaw]

Yep, these were great...you just fail to remember how many appliances and PCs were released right after the iMac and the iBook in the market, in the same color schemes... ;)

And fortunately, they're all in landfills by now...

http://www.governmentauctions.org/uploaded_images/imacs-700084.jpg

There was a lot of bad taste in those days...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/58/202639478_fb97bc3c3f.jpg


That's the problem...a 3G netbook doesn't make sense if you're gonna use it as a small laptop (just as pretty much everyone else buying crappy netbooks)...a netbook is NOT a phone, and definitely not worth having a contract with a carrier...unless, of course, you define a netbook as an iPhone Plus... ;)

Having a netbook that isn't always connected to the net is what doesn't make sense. WiFi doesn't cut it - coverage is too spotty, too few open and free hot spots, too many odd login issues even with free ones.

We buy all of our laptops with 3G cards - except for the people who want Apples, they need to carry around fugly USB modem dongles.

I'm amazed that Apple is so far behind the times with 3G support on laptops and (soon) netbooks.

[localoid]

...
I'm amazed that Apple is so far behind the times with 3G support on laptops and (soon) netbooks.

Apple's being so far behind is probably due to the fact that the U.S. is so far behind much of the world in regards to pricing and availability of its "broadband" wired and wireless access. Network infrastructure in the U.S. sucks... and most of our elected "idiots in charge" in D.C. are far too out of touch with the real world to understand the need for it.

[X99]

I find it very humorous to read the comments by forum 'folks' who voice an opinion about such things, like "Apple already has a netbook ... it's the Air," or "Apple already has a netbook ... it's the iPhone," or "Apple would never sell a $99 netbook."

The computer market has many applications, far more than any one person could fathom. And to believe that there are no other applications for a netbook beyond one's personal use, possibly fulfilled through an Air or iPhone, is extremely short-sighted. Thankfully Apple R&D doesn't carry that short-sightedness as many of the products that Apple devotees heap nothing short of jubilant praise onto might not have existed in the first place.

Is a subsidized $99 netbook possible? Why not?

The key word that is overlooked by the naysayers is "subsidized". How much is an un-subsidized iPhone? How much are other-branded netbooks running these days? Notice a similarity?

As for design, it's been equally entertaining reading the posts of 'experts' who believe that a touch-screen keyboard (like the iPhone) or an Air is more then sufficient for a netbook. Yet I would safely gamble that none of these 'experts' have utilized a netbook for it's intended purpose.

But I think it's safe to say the days of a mouse (or even a touchpad) are coming to close.

This 'mockup' being distributed through various online channels seems very ... intriguing. Taking the existing form-factor of the ultra-thin wired and wireless keyboard and utilizing the contracted touchscreens ... Has anyone bothered to measure the dimensions of these keyboards? Hmmm....

Very intriguing, I would say.

-X99

.

[iMacmatician]

Taking the existing form-factor of the ultra-thin wired and wireless keyboard and utilizing the contracted touchscreens ... Has anyone bothered to measure the dimensions of these keyboards? Hmmm....I don't think they're too far apart…

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Is a subsidized $99 netbook possible? Why not?

The key word that is overlooked by the naysayers is "subsidized". How much is an un-subsidized iPhone? How much are other-branded netbooks running these days? Notice a similarity?

The only way I see the $99 netbook thing happening is if it's some sort of add-on for a new MBA. Apple doesn't really sell ANYTHING for $99 (not even the subsidized iPhone 3G).

[BRLawyer]

Apple's being so far behind is probably due to the fact that the U.S. is so far behind much of the world in regards to pricing and availability of its "broadband" wired and wireless access. Network infrastructure in the U.S. sucks... and most of our elected "idiots in charge" in D.C. are far too out of touch with the real world to understand the need for it.

Exactly. Aiden Shaw's usual diatribes against Apple, together with his ignorance of anything that happens outside the U.S., is what turns such statements into little more than glib BS.

Nobody I know in Europe or Latin America needs 3G connection or buys such stupid cards for their computers, NETBOOKS included. Most make do with ubiquitous Wi-Fi connection in offices, conference rooms and hotels. If you don't have that, you're not supposed to connect; you're on vacation. And I am glad, of course, that Apple doesn't cram this close-to-useless technology in its notebooks. Hopefully, it won't either for the fabled $99 "netbook".

[html]

Couldn't this netbook that isn't running windows be an eee with linux?

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Couldn't this netbook that isn't running windows be an eee with linux?

as was brought up many, many, many times before: It could be.

[AidenShaw]

Apple's being so far behind is probably due to the fact that the U.S. is so far behind much of the world in regards to pricing and availability of its "broadband" wired and wireless access. Network infrastructure in the U.S. sucks... and most of our elected "idiots in charge" in D.C. are far too out of touch with the real world to understand the need for it.

Somewhat valid, but if you look at the "configure" menus on other laptops you see:

Dell:

Mobile Broadband

Select options below

Verizon Wireless built-in mobile broadband (EV-DO Rev A) with GPS [add $125]

Sprint built-in mobile broadband (EV-DO Rev A) with GPS [add $125]

AT&T built-in mobile broadband (HSDPA) with GPS [add $125]



HP:

HP Mobile Broadband

- HP Mobile Broadband (powered by Gobi) requires selection of of one the Service provider applets in the Broadband Service Provider category below.

[$125.00] HP Mobile Broadband (powered by Gobi)

Broadband Service Provider


Universal Mobile Broadband Wireless Card requires the selection of one of the following Service Provider registration-software applet

Lenovo:
Mobile Broadband

Integrated Mobile Broadband upgradable [subtract $30.00]

Integrated AT&T Mobile Broadband Card (3G)
Two great offers on AT&T Mobile Broadband
1. AT&T Mobile Broadband only $30 ($80 - $50 instant savings).
2. Get 30 days free DataConnect service from AT&T. Subject to approval and additional terms & conditions.
Learn more about 30 days of free DataConnect service

Integrated Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Card (3G) [add $120.00]

Apple:
[null]

Where's the innovator? The other companies are seeing the demand and filling it. In spite of the problems, people want 3G built into their laptops - not an ugly dongle.


Exactly. Aiden Shaw's usual diatribes against Apple, together with his ignorance of anything that happens outside the U.S., is what turns such statements into little more than glib BS.

Nobody I know in Europe or Latin America needs 3G connection....

So, your argument is that Apple should be an LCD (least common denominator) vendor? If something isn't necessary in geography X - don't sell it anywhere else even if it is desired and it is useful?

And, it appears that Gartner shares my ignorance:

Gartner: 3G laptops future must-have for business
May 30, 2008 — FierceWireless.com : By Lynnette Luna

Laptops embedded with 3G are likely to become a must-have for the business world starting next year because new technologies and better pricing plans are making them more attractive, says research group Gartner. The firm said the high cost of hardware and expensive monthly charges have so far kept the enterprise from investing in 3G-enabled laptops, but that should begin changing at the end of this year, said Ken Dulaney, vice president with Gartner.

http://www.gobianywhere.com/news.html#art05-1

[SFStateStudent]

$99 Apple NetBook will happen if Apple is willing to go "CHEAPER & CHEEZIER"...:D:p:D:p:D:p

[X99]

The only way I see the $99 netbook thing happening is if it's some sort of add-on for a new MBA. Apple doesn't really sell ANYTHING for $99 (not even the subsidized iPhone 3G).

Thank you "IGNATIUS THE KING" for so eloquently demonstrating to everyone what I meant by short-sighted 'experts'.

To help explain this to you, when a product is subsidized, that means that the vendor (Apple) isn't the sole sales stream. In this case, Apple isn't selling their netbook for $99 to the public, as AT&T would be selling it, with a considerable consumer contract to more than compensate the price that AT&T would be 'purchasing' the netbook from Apple — a price the general public would balk. THAT, my expert friend, is the ROI (Return On Investment) dream for subsidized sales.

-X99

[IgnatiusTheKing]

Thank you "IGNATIUS THE KING" for so eloquently demonstrating to everyone what I meant by short-sighted 'experts'.

To help explain this to you, when a product is subsidized, that means that the vendor (Apple) isn't the sole sales stream. In this case, Apple isn't selling their netbook for $99 to the public, as AT&T would be selling it, with a considerable consumer contract to more than compensate the price that AT&T would be 'purchasing' the netbook from Apple — a price the general public would balk. THAT, my expert friend, is the ROI (Return On Investment) dream for subsidized sales.

-X99

Thank, you, "X 99" for correcting us with your own expert opinion. I was so confused about my place in the world until you came along and set everything right with your infinite intelligence and wit.

As for the (little) content you actually posted, how do you explain the fact that A&T subsidizes the iPhone to the tune of hundreds of dollars (more than half the cost, in fact), yet somehow it still costs consumers $200-$300?

Perhaps because Apple is not, as Steve Jobs has repeatedly stated, in the cheap computer market?

Thanks and enjoy.

[GenNovE]

Hey I have a friend and one of his friends know a friend of a friend of my friends friend that says that THIS IS ********. HE IS VERY HIGH UP THE
ATT PLATTER.

sOME FRIENDS ARE SO RESOURCEFUL.

[timirving]

OK here's a fun thought; they're working out tethering and apple already filed for a patent for a device that allows something with a processor to be plugged into another device. Maybe they intend for a iPhone to be plugged into the netbook to give it "life"; of course, we'd have to pay for a tethering plan........ Just a fun thought......

[VoR]

Apple doesn't really sell ANYTHING for $99 (not even the subsidized iPhone 3G).

I'm in the uk and I can 'buy' an iphone for free. The same as I can buy a ps3, xbox, netbook, laptop, gadget X for free.

All I have to do is sign up to a contract that has a minimum term that's twice as long and five times the price of a 'normal' voice/data contract (with a subsidised[!] phone).

[illjazz]

I'm curious.. being that I live in Switzerland and am a current 3G owner who would love nothing more than a brand new, shiny iPhone with all new features released this summer.. what are the chances that the new device will be launched internationally as well as in the US, IF a new iPhone were to be announced this summer?

I know it's impossible to answer this question accurately, but someone here must be able to come up with a better guess than myself..

[Breckenridge]

I'm ready for new a new phone, still using the first gen-iPhone and I would upgrade only if video capture is a feature of the new iPhone, otherwise, I'm really forced to switch to some other phone that provides good video capture with the ability to email directly from phone. Come On Apple, do this for all of us.

[darkyeffectt]

InstallerApp: All Apps for iPhone without jailbreaking
Hey just found this on the web is a new software for Mac that allows you to install the applications that are not in the App Store without have to jailbreak the device. You can even install Cydiae Installer without jailbreaking....This is the link:

http://applediario.com/2009/03/24/installerapp-libertad-absoluta-para-tu-iphone-y-sin-tener-que-hacer-jailbreak/

[burro]

I just want to know if 3.0 will let me use a BT or wired keyboard...?

Until then, these things are really just toys, to me.

Would love top open up a fold-up keyboard and take meeting notes, work on my latest research report, etc.

Especially if I can cut-and-paste out of PDFs and other docs.

Keyboards?

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I'm in the uk and I can 'buy' an iphone for free. The same as I can buy a ps3, xbox, netbook, laptop, gadget X for free.

That's great and all but we're talking AT&T and USD here, not O2 and GBP.

[salvatorereda]

99$ is the monthly fee for the netbook.

You get a netbook and a 2 year contract. The netbook comes with a built in cell phone so your on the internet everywhere you go. Internet 3G via ATT!!!:eek:


This is how apple is going to tie you into a 99$ x 24 month contact....
through a netbook

[LanPhantom]

Correct... it's quite a leap to assume that "non-windows" equals mac, especially at that price point.

I can see a cheap netbook with Linux or something. Heck, it might even be worth the money.

[Pooshka]

I get it now, $99 is a subsidized price. Duh!

[hiimamac]

Don't forget the rainbows. Gotta have rainbows with the ponies, unlimited M2M, 900 minutes, free teathering, all for $50.

Pot of gold, winning mega numbers, fairy dust.....

What Kool Aid is everyone drinking? Yeah, a portable, lightweight, glossy screen 10-12" OS X machine. A huh.

I"ll settle for a lightweight 13" MB pro though.

[bretm]

Pot of gold, winning mega numbers, fairy dust.....

What Kool Aid is everyone drinking? Yeah, a portable, lightweight, glossy screen 10-12" OS X machine. A huh.

I"ll settle for a lightweight 13" MB pro though.

It's 3G, so it's subsidized by a contract obviously. And their competition right now are the fully capable Windows XP Home, 8" lcd, 60gig HD, real keyboard, bluetooth, wifi, etc. sub $300 netbooks by ACER and others. They look sleek (taking some direction from Apple/Sony) and they're small and light. So nice that when dealing with a product like this, I don't even care what OS it's running. I'm going to surf, check email, and maybe write a quick document. If that's the same market for the Apple product, and they want to charge $600-$1000, forget it. This isn't the iPhone market anymore. The iPhone is still the best product experience, and it's only slightly more expensive. Well, consider the Apple netbook to be slightly more expensive, and a better experience. That would place it in the $500 range, which, like the phone, when subsidized puts it in the $99 range. The phones unsubsidized are $600+. The $99 sounds like something Apple is trying to do to jump into a market they didn't think was viable. They're doing something different with the 3G and the subsidized. Once again they'll be ahead of the game. First real notebook under $100 (sorta). And of course they'll get more of the contract money and enter a new market, which means their stock will grow by leaps and bounds. Buy AAPL people. Buy AAPL.

[bretm]

Apple's being so far behind is probably due to the fact that the U.S. is so far behind much of the world in regards to pricing and availability of its "broadband" wired and wireless access. Network infrastructure in the U.S. sucks... and most of our elected "idiots in charge" in D.C. are far too out of touch with the real world to understand the need for it.

What exactly do you want the idiots to do with my money to fix the problem?

[kdarling]

Apple's being so far behind is probably due to the fact that the U.S. is so far behind much of the world in regards to pricing and availability of its "broadband" wired and wireless access. ...

1) The US is physically much larger than most of those other countries.

2) Other countries usually have a telecom monopoly. In the US, landline broadband is split between cable and phone companies. Wireless broadband is split between at least four major carriers.

[jbernie]

Yep, these were great...you just fail to remember how many appliances and PCs were released right after the iMac and the iBook in the market, in the same color schemes... ;)

Just because a herd of sheep follow along behind and copy a design philosophy doesn't necessarily mean the design is justified as good/best/great etc. It just shows humans are stupid enough to buy tacky stuff :)

Yes Apple gave people color with their computer selection (+1), no they did not necessarily make amazing designs, they created a fad (+/-) that apparently has for the most part faded quite quickly (+1k). About the only real color selections that remain in the Apple line up is with the smaller iPods.

[jbernie]

1) The US is physically much larger than most of those other countries.

2) Other countries usually have a telecom monopoly. In the US, landline broadband is split between cable and phone companies. Wireless broadband is split between at least four major carriers.

3) US telecom companies love taking standards and then modifying them just slightly so you can't use your equipment with any other network slowing the uptake of new technology and thus giving themselves the bad reputation they generally deserve.

or

4) US telecom companies like to ignore the standards that exist almost everywhere else in the world (GSM) and then 15 years late to the party they like to claim they are reinventing the world when the rest of the world looks as them and yawns, then falls to the floor laughing hysterically.

[Guruclub04]

Slide-out keyboard instantly invalidates the rest of the information from the source, I believe.

I don't believe this is going to be true

[iMacoo7]

I don't believe this is going to be true

I think you and most of the people whom have been following Apple and their thoughts on keyboards.
To date, Apple has changed the mobile industry as of now there are 100's of phones that are not including keyboards and then there are some companies that are but are using full touch screens suffice enough for finger touches vs. a stylus.

That being said I highly doubt that we will see a model of the iphone of sorts in that area.

[localoid]

1) The US is physically much larger than most of those other countries.

2) Other countries usually have a telecom monopoly. In the US, landline broadband is split between cable and phone companies. Wireless broadband is split between at least four major carriers.


I often wonder why the U.S. didn't "give up" many decades ago when the railroads, highways, and other infrastructure of the country were first being built... across this "big" country.

Apparently folks back then were doers, not dreamers.

[iMacoo7]

Found this while surfing about:
http://vimeo.com/3523726
Also found an article on Apple's patent just getting passed/approved into the patents game:
Apple has developed a new technique that would hide a biometric reader inside an iPhone or a Mac and let owners lock down their systems with fingerprints or even facial recognition -- all without ever having to break from their usual routine.

Published for the first time this week, a patent filing for the process reveals that Apple wants to provide a more secure method for preventing unauthorized access to a whole device -- or private information on that device -- than current techniques like passcodes; however, it also wants to avoid taking up the owner's time with a separate scan or consuming extra space with a distinct reader.

The solution, the company suggests, would be to automatically use a sensor either hidden within the device or else repurposed from its usual role. Devices could recognize a fingerprint or finger vein pattern simply by waiting for the user to touch the display, which would hide the sensors on or behind the screen. A forward-facing camera could alternately look for retinal patterns or even recognize the facial features of owners when they're in the right position for use.
Link to article:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/27/apple_developing_stealth_biometric_security_for_iphone.html

[iMacoo7]

This picture has emerged from 9to5 mac. The person that posted it on their forum says the ad came in a magazine.
What is striking is that the screen size is 10.4" (the same size that was rumored for the supposed "netbook" not sure but this thing looks like the mac book air with just a few differences in size
here is a picture:
http://9to5mac.com/files/image/00000/attachment-1.jpg

[3247]

What is striking is that the screen size is 10.4" (the same size that was rumored for the supposed "netbook" not sure but this thing looks like the mac book air with just a few differences in sizeUnlike the current Air, the trackpad does not have a button. (Well, that's not unexpected for any new Apple notebook. The next MBA probably won't have the button, either.)

[iMacoo7]

Unlike the current Air, the trackpad does not have a button. (Well, that's not unexpected for any new Apple notebook. The next MBA probably won't have the button, either.)

Which I do agree.It has a button set like the macbook pro.