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Jobs on Mac Netbooks: Not Yet, But...

Students

slffl said:
I agree. I don't see the market for people needing something between an iPhone and the Macbook Air. Seriously, are there those of you out there that need something like that?
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I've got an iMac at home, I just need something for school to get online, check e-mail, and take notes in class.
If not a Netbook, the ability to use a bluetooth or even dock connected keyboard for the iPhone/ Touch would be a great solution! I'd much rather buy an iPod Touch over an Asus.
 
Repeat after me....

Squozen said:
I wish I could make a blunder that earned me $25 billion.
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I'm with you brother.

Apple is a hardware company 1st, and a software company 2nd. Why don't people get this?

They did not make a blunder, you don't make $25 billion by mistake. I would be willing to bet he really knows what he is doing.
 
nozebleed said:
I'd rather they didnt water down the product to suit to someone that has asus price and wants apple quality. "you get what you pay for?"
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Yeah, they should only sell the MacBook Pro and forget about any sub-$2000 proletarian market. ;)
 
Apple is all about selling things with a really high margin. I don't think Steve thinks netbooks have a high enough profit margin to make it worth it to him to make and sell.
 
Alchematron said:
Jobs fails to license OS (Biggest blunder in computer history)

And crank out 10" Air

Think Different?
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Except apple did license their OS for about half a year and it was an absolute fiscal disaster for them. You must not be old enough to remember that
 
Pricing themselves out of education market.

Because Apple refuses to make a cheap laptop/netbook computer, they are pricing themselves out of the K-12 education market -especially in California. Budgets are constantly shrinking and Apple still thinks they can compete on price/value with the PeeCee makers. Sorry, Steve, you lose.
 
Wouldn't Apple be able to sell more computers by offering a mid-tower design for about $1200? The thing I hate most about the iMac is you're stuck with your monitor choice once you buy one. That's neat for a lot of people, but for a crapload of us it stinks.

I would love to see a Mac mid-tower that looks a lot like Dell's Inspiron. The fact that most PC desktops are mid-towers and Apple doesn't make one STILL kinda surprises me, especially when they have such a jones for the MacBook Air (twice the price, half the guts!).
 
Netbooks for K-12 Schools

Thousands of Netbooks are being purchased in school districts all around the U.S. It is just starting to take off. Netbooks are the way of the future in the classroom. Buying a MB even with an educational discount is way too pricey. Apple has always been serious about education, but it seems silly that they won't consider this sub $500 group as a viable market. These students will be the people who later buy...MB, MBPros, Airs when they are in college.

Come on Apple.
 
It all depends on the quality of the experience.

When I used Mac's in elementary school (OS 7 & 8), the user experience was much better than the Windows 98 Machines. There's no telling how many times, for example, you'd go to save your work, and it would crash on you. Then the teacher made us stay in for recess if we hadn't finished our projects. Needless to say, everyone bum-rushed the Mac's so they could actually go to recess. Since then, I really just have hated PC's. However, now in high school, they've got some of those IBM T-whatevers with just the point nub. And what do you know... everyone hates those too. If Apple were to put out crap for $500, it would turn away potential buyers. Provided a quality product entered the school for that price though, it would probably be beneficial. And hey, these uni-body designs are like tanks (if you take away the glass). (Not to start yet another glossy v matte)
 
Could someone please tell me what would be soooo cool about a new apple netbook? :rolleyes: Cause I don’t see the appeal. :confused: I mean how small is TOO small? :eek: An iPhone is a great size because it has to be!.. doesn’t hurt that it has internet either. But I think a 13.3 inch Macbook is portable enough. Beside weight.. what benefits would a netbook give a user? :confused: Just asking. :p
 
demiphonic said:
Could someone please tell me what would be soooo cool about a new apple netbook? :rolleyes: Cause I don’t see the appeal. :confused: I mean how small is TOO small? :eek: An iPhone is a great size because it has to be!.. doesn’t hurt that it has internet either. But I think a 13.3 inch Macbook is portable enough. Beside weight.. what benefits would a netbook give a user? :confused: Just asking. :p
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Besides weight? Try "size" –*"because it has to be" ;)
 
It's interesting that people on here are blasting Asus. Do you guys even own one? Everyone who I know who has one LOVES it, including myself. In fact, I'm typing on it right now. I use it just as much as my powerbook G4. It's nothing flashy, but it does what I want it to do, it was very cheap, doesn't turn into a hot plate with minimal use, and it has an excellent battery life.

I don't think a sub-$500 dollar netbook automatically makes it "cheap." I've had my eee for over a year and it is just as fast as my powerbook. I've had zero problems. True, it runs XP, but at least it is not vista. I keep it very clean (software wise) and it hasn't experienced any slow-down, like other windows machines.

Here are the number sold so far this year:

http://blog.laptopmag.com/asus-ceo-...or-touch-eee-pcs-and-more-eee-family-products

Selling 4-5 million units at $400-$500 a pop is not bad.

Seems like Jobs is reluctant to jump in the ring because (1) he already missed the boat, or more likely (2) it will likely mean less MacBooks and MBPs sold. Too bad because I would love OS X on this.
 
demiphonic said:
Could someone please tell me what would be soooo cool about a new apple netbook? :rolleyes: Cause I don’t see the appeal. :confused: I mean how small is TOO small? :eek: An iPhone is a great size because it has to be!.. doesn’t hurt that it has internet either. But I think a 13.3 inch Macbook is portable enough. Beside weight.. what benefits would a netbook give a user? :confused: Just asking. :p
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+1

Im actually not sure what apple could offer besides looks that would make it any different from another netbook. If it was too different it wouldnt be a netbook now would it?
 
ahahahaha :D yeah ....ummmmmm "Tablet"! hehehe my bad :p

but really if they really made a table I think we would ALL still buy it. That Steve J 'Distortion field' is powerful :p
 
actionbastard said:
Because Apple refuses to make a cheap laptop/netbook computer, they are pricing themselves out of the K-12 education market -especially in California. Budgets are constantly shrinking and Apple still thinks they can compete on price/value with the PeeCee makers. Sorry, Steve, you lose.
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You got it! I can't tell you how many PC laptop carts our school has. All the kids do on them are Word and browse the Internet.

If Apple had a low-cost laptop I'm sure some of those carts would be Macs. Since Apple doesn't have any, it's PCs all the way.

There is only ONE thing school districts look at - Budgets, and what costs the least.
 
Demosthenes X said:
I disagree. I think producing a netbook would give Apple a fantastic "in" to build its customer base. Lots of people are buying netbooks, but it would be foolish to assume that it's their only computer. If Apple sold an $800 netbook, they could attract new customers who would (in theory) eventually buy a higher-end Mac with a better profit margin.

I doubt the iPod Shuffle has a very good profit margin, but I'll also be many Shuffle buyers eventually upgrade to a better iPod. The cheaper products get people in the door, which is a very important step. The hardest thing to do is attract customers...

I think the lack of an Apple netbook has more to do with it detracting from MacBook sales than it does the market not being profitable.

And I hope to god if Apple does make a netbook, it's not "Newton-sized". A netbook needs a decent keyboard, something you won't get on a product that small. A netbook running a version of the iPhone software but with a full keyboard would be fantastic... especially if it were touch screen.
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You bring up some very good points, but I have to disagree on some of those.

The difference between a low-cost computer and a iPod Shuffle is that the Shuffle is almost a disposable product that consumers replace/upgrade at a much shorter cycle. I've personally lost/destroyed a couple Shuffles and Nanos that I didn't feel too bad about replacing because of the relative low cost.

But computers, and to a lesser extent the iPhone, has much longer shelf life. If people are holding on to their Macs for 4+ years, then that Mac better be a $1500+ machine that Apple will make a fat profit on.

The key phrases for Apple are: "profit margins" and "does not cannibalize existing higher-margin products." A netbook will have low-margins and will cannibalize MacBook/MBA sales. At the same time, if it's a fully-functioning Mac OS X system, then people will hold on to it at the more typical 4+ years PC cycle.

I say the netbook, as it stands now, is between a rock and a hard place...for a high-margin computer maker like Apple. But, as others have noted, Apple could find a way to 're-invent" the market to their liking.

The di
 
the air really isnt that 'ultraportable' its thin and all. but it takes up the same space as any other 13" notebook. an 11" version would be nice to compete with the sony t series.
 
lakaiordie said:
the air really isnt that 'ultraportable' its thin and all. but it takes up the same space as any other 13" notebook. an 11" version would be nice to compete with the sony t series.
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I personally dont get how anyone that can carry around a 11" notebook doesnt have the room for a 13".
 
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