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5 reasons why Apple will bring out a Netbook at Macworld 2009

Schtumple said:
Exactly, let's get the current line up on track before we go off investing in what's been consistently dogged as a "fad" market, it's nearing saturation point now, not much further these companies can go before everything splits the way of the tablet pc or super super cheap ultra mobile laptops.
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"Steve Jobs seemed to think that iPhones can do the same things as netbooks, even going on saying that 'not a lot of them (netbooks) getting sold.'"

Netbooks now more popular than iPhone

"According to the latest smart phone sales numbers from Gartner and DisplaySearch's netbook sales numbers, 4.7 million iPhones were shipped in Q3 2008 while a whopping 5.6 million netbooks were sold in the same period."
 
localoid said:
"Steve Jobs seemed to think that iPhones can do the same things as netbooks, even going on saying that 'not a lot of them (netbooks) getting sold.'"

Netbooks now more popular than iPhone

"According to the latest smart phone sales numbers from Gartner and DisplaySearch's netbook sales numbers, 4.7 million iPhones were shipped in Q3 2008 while a whopping 5.6 million netbooks were sold in the same period."
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Yeah, but compare that to the number of "smartphones" on the market. Cellphones are more popular then netbooks.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Yeah, but compare that to the number of "smartphones" on the market. Cellphones are more popular then netbooks.
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Are regular phone are more popular the smart phones(based only on numbers)

Its not just about the size of the market, its about what Apple thinks that can do with the market


That said, I'm sure a Apple Netbook would sell like wild fire!
 
I pretty much agree with this writer's description of what Apple may do, except for calling it a "netbook." These PCs, as he rightly points out, are cheap, shrunken minimalist notebooks. I can't fathom Apple trying its hand at that market. More probably they will scale up the iPhone/touch into a device capable of connecting with projectors and hooking up to a keyboard. The pieces are already essentially in place for doing this -- it's only a matter of whether Apple is ready to release a product. I'd have to handicap this for January if only because nothing else of interest appears to be on the agenda and a preview of Snow Leopard and a couple of product bumps aren't going to cut it.
 
localoid said:
"Steve Jobs seemed to think that iPhones can do the same things as netbooks, even going on saying that 'not a lot of them (netbooks) getting sold.'"

Netbooks now more popular than iPhone

"According to the latest smart phone sales numbers from Gartner and DisplaySearch's netbook sales numbers, 4.7 million iPhones were shipped in Q3 2008 while a whopping 5.6 million netbooks were sold in the same period."
Click to expand...

SJ also thinks people don't use FireWire anymore.
 
IJ Reilly said:
I pretty much agree with this writer's description of what Apple may do, except for calling it a "netbook." These PCs, as he rightly points out, are cheap, shrunken minimalist notebooks. I can't fathom Apple trying its hand at that market. More probably they will scale up the iPhone/touch into a device capable of connecting with projectors and hooking up to a keyboard. The pieces are already essentially in place for doing this -- it's only a matter of whether Apple is ready to release a product.
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Agree.

A couple different touch models would be a great way for Apple to enter this netbook market.

Have at least two models:
- Existing touch one.
- Double the current size.
 
I still dont see a nettbook coming out ne time soon from apple.

That may be just my bias towards hating netbooks tho lol.
 
$599 would be a safer bet than $499. But then, it's creeping into the pricerange of other mid-range laptops that often compete with the MacBook. Some people like bigger screens and more comfortable keyboards. So the niche of the netbook as a second computer starts to collapse, when it's priced just as much as a full-fledged, full-featured laptop that's far more powerful. The products have different appeals, but consumers tend to be driven by the more-bang-for-your-buck heuristic.

A $499 price point, though, would seem a bit too low for Apple. As previously mentioned the 32GB iPod touch is already $400. Nowadays it's an outrageous price for an MP3 player. I don't even know anyone who has one. And as for my iPhone, which I paid about $400 for... if there was an Apple netbook for $499, I'd gladly purchase that instead, and keep my existing phone. A $499 pricepoint would cannibalize some iPhone/iPod touch sales for sure. They are inherently different products (notebooks, MP3 players, phones), but most people already own two of these things. Again, more bang for your buck.

Although I would love for them to come out with one. If it was priced appropriately (figure $579... creeping on that golden $600 mark), I'd jump on it. And it better have at LEAST a 5-cell. The 3- and 4-cells on most netbooks are awful. I was lucky to get a 6-cell on my Acer, which cost me a measly $399... a fantastic deal for sure. I don't think Apple can match the pricepoint. Sure, it'll be aluminum and pretty, but this is an impulse buy of a second computer we're talking about.

Apple just can't play its cards properly without destroying some other part of their product line. There's no magic price point that puts an Apple netbook far enough away from both the iPhone/iPod and the MacBook.
 
IJ Reilly said:
Something like that, but I think it's got to be more than just an oversized touch.
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No argument there.

Size wise, I mentioned two above. I am thinking along the lines of three sizes:
- Current
- Double
- A little bigger than current

I could see the double sized one having the following:
- Tilting built-in camera
- More memory (more space for more memory).
- Longer battery life
- BT
- Ink (Pen recognition)
- Stereo speakers
- Mic
- SDHC slot
 
sushi said:
No argument there.

Size wise, I mentioned two above. I am thinking along the lines of three sizes:
- Current
- Double
- A little bigger than current

I could see the double sized one having the following:
- Tilting built-in camera
- More memory (more space for more memory).
- Longer battery life
- BT
- Ink (Pen recognition)
- Stereo speakers
- Mic
- SDHC slot
Click to expand...

For some reason I can see this being far more expensive/as expensive as a MacBook.
 
Anyone know what the markup is on Apple hardware? Surely they make a lot? Maybe they could reduce their sales profit to be more competitive and own a larger market share?

How much you reckon it costs apple to pimp out a $2000 laptop? I'm guessing around $200?
 
sushi said:
No argument there.

Size wise, I mentioned two above. I am thinking along the lines of three sizes:
- Current
- Double
- A little bigger than current

I could see the double sized one having the following:
- Tilting built-in camera
- More memory (more space for more memory).
- Longer battery life
- BT
- Ink (Pen recognition)
- Stereo speakers
- Mic
- SDHC slot
Click to expand...

Trying to think this out in the way Apple does, I believe this device would have to leverage the iPhone/touch interface, but also take on some more traditional laptop functions but without becoming a laptop. This is why I think it would need an optional keyboard input, and video out. The implication of this is that it would be capable of running some version of the iWork suite.
 
Reason 4: Steve gets to say he invented it

I'm sure if this happens it will be called the MacBook Mini, and steve will claim its the first of its kind and bla bla bla.

Apple will not make one, OS X is to good of an OS to be placed on a netbook
 
I still believe they would sell container loads of them at $ 799. Take the existing unibody MB design, Give it a 10" screen, instant netbook.

oh and a Atom processor. 1.66 ghz
 
A netbook isn't a primary computer for most users. I can't understand why they put up with a tiny screen in a giant bezel though, its just poor packaging, and Apple wouldn't stand for it. I'd like to see the netbook market be crushed by Apple, on design alone, but I have a wait and see stance on it. I couldn't buy a 13in macbook a year and a half ago, but I'd happily buy a macbook air today after evaluating my needs, but with a loaded iMac to compliment it.
 
Melrose said:
-iPods are the ubiquitous player, but not because they're cheap: Because they're simple, easy to use and stylish.
Click to expand...

But when Apple noticed that a flash market started to develop for iPods, they didn't just ignore it and continue making high end, hard drive based iPods, they released one for each segment of the market. The iPod mini for the high end flash market, and then the iPod shuffle for the low end flash market.

At that time, flash-based mp3 players were an emerging market, and Apple decided to "invent" and dominate that segment. I don't see why they wouldn't take advantage of the same opportunity with netbooks.
 
aaquib said:
But when Apple noticed that a flash market started to develop for iPods, they didn't just ignore it and continue making high end, hard drive based iPods, they released one for each segment of the market. The iPod mini for the high end flash market, and then the iPod shuffle for the low end flash market.

At that time, flash-based mp3 players were an emerging market, and Apple decided to "invent" and dominate that segment. I don't see why they wouldn't take advantage of the same opportunity with netbooks.
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Well first off the iPod mini was a hard drive based music player, second off the flash market was with out a question there before the shuffle. Heck the flash player market predates the original iPod!

I don't know the numbers,but the market was there pre iPod shuffle, Apple did break into the market well,thats true...but not as well as the bigger iPod had(marker sharewise)

The netbook market is tricky, its already has a ton of big names in it, and the hardware is very standardized. And since it is a market with a lot of focus on price, Apple is playing a game it might not be best at(they'd have to make their product differently enough to justify the price or have a low price to start with)

That said, I'd love an Apple netbook!
 
Cynicalone said:
Although it doesn't seem unreasonable I don't see Apple doing it anytime soon. How would they get the price down to a competitive level? The iPod Touch is still $399 USD for the 32GB model. A supersized iPod Touch/iPhone couldn't be realeased anywhere near $500 USD. And if they Apple price it say release it for $799, $899, or $999 who would they market it too?
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Mapple users.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L2fsubA2-c&feature=related
 
IJ Reilly said:
I pretty much agree with this writer's description of what Apple may do, except for calling it a "netbook." These PCs, as he rightly points out, are cheap, shrunken minimalist notebooks. I can't fathom Apple trying its hand at that market. More probably they will scale up the iPhone/touch into a device capable of connecting with projectors and hooking up to a keyboard. The pieces are already essentially in place for doing this -- it's only a matter of whether Apple is ready to release a product. I'd have to handicap this for January if only because nothing else of interest appears to be on the agenda and a preview of Snow Leopard and a couple of product bumps aren't going to cut it.
Click to expand...
Yep. I'm quite sure that whatever Apple will release will be a mini-tablet rather than a small notebook. That way just seems more logical.

IJ Reilly said:
Something like that, but I think it's got to be more than just an oversized touch.
Click to expand...
I have several features in mind.
  • 5.5"~8" display
  • Faster CPU
  • iLife mobile, iWork mobile, and editing features in iTunes
  • Windows for applications, split-screen, or something else to solve the display size disparity between it and the iPhone / iPod touch
  • Multitasking
  • USB, micro-DVI
  • Camera
And I think it'll cost about $100~$300 more than an equivalent capacity iPod touch, depending on its additional features. So that would mean $499~$699 for a 32 GB device.

drichards said:
A netbook isn't a primary computer for most users. I can't understand why they put up with a tiny screen in a giant bezel though, its just poor packaging, and Apple wouldn't stand for it.
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Apple wouldn't stand for the thickness either. An Apple version of a netbook would be smaller and much thinner, therefore even lower specced.
 
So people really expect Apple to release a $599 netbook? With the way Apple prices its other products, that would be suicide.

And people are right about Apple not making a typical netbook. It would have to be touchscreen, it would likely be a tablet-like device, and it would have to be $899 or $999. ;) I don't see Apple releasing anything less than that.
 
Abstract said:
So people really expect Apple to release a $599 netbook? With the way Apple prices its other products, that would be suicide.

And people are right about Apple not making a typical netbook. It would have to be touchscreen, it would likely be a tablet-like device, and it would have to be $899 or $999. ;) I don't see Apple releasing anything less than that.
Click to expand...
A netbook would be $899/$999. A mini-tablet / larger-than-iPhone device that many think will be released instead of the netbook could be $599, although hardware and software will play a big part in the price.
 
Not going to be much of a netbook when apple charges $2,000 for it. I can't see them releasing a reasonably priced netbook.
 
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