More Apple Netbook Rumors Pinpoint Foxconn as Manufacturer

[pcorajr]

How Pathetic. "we don't know how to make a netbook for 500 with out it being junk" in other words.

I can understand if you where making a full featured laptop for 500, that would be junk. But a netbook for more than 500 dollars? Get a clue Apple. we are not asking for you to shrink down a Macbook and fit it in a 10" formfactor. We are asking for a netbook, a computer to surf the internet check e-mail and do light word processing.

 

[iMacmatician]

Mmmmm.... good point. But for it to be worth it to me, I'd need the 3G connectivity.

Good point too. Hopefully 3G comes as an option.

An interesting tidbit from the report:

The rumours come at a time when speculation is rife about Apple introducing a new multimedia device to take up an intermediary niche between the Iphone and Mac notebooks. Apple is keeping tight lipped about its plans, issuing a terse "no comment", but the word on the Asian streets is that the device will be some sort of 10-inch touch screen netbook.

Whispers suggest Apple will attempt to market the device as a portable gadget for reading e-books, connecting to the Interwarble and watching films.

 

[Bonte]

Why does everybody forget that the 32 GB iPod touch is $399?

Pricing hasn't changed for over a decade, at least it feels like that long. Apple kept it high because there is no competition, don't want to lower the value and maybe to make room for a bigger version.

A 16 GB tablet Touch for $500 is more than realistic IMHO.

 

[kas23]

2. don't know? well it's never too late to start learning. and a $500 computer is a piece of junk? well there's a lot of people out there who love this kinda "piece of junk". (apple apple, put aside your ego) $500 computers aren't junk, ya know... junk is like junk food, things you find in the dust bin, etc.

As you point out, this was a very arrogant thing for Apple to say on many levels. There is no such thing as a netbook that is "junk". What they should have said it that they could not produce a quality netbook with their current expected profit margin. And if they can't do that, well learn or your just showing you unwillingness to change (not unlike GM).

On a different note, this netbook better run a full-fledged OS (OS X) with full capabilities to load ANY 3rd party programs, have user accessible storage space, and not be dependent on a laptop/desktop for syncing if I'm going to drop over $500.

 

[edesignuk]

It'll probably be priced in the Vaio P area, >£700

 

[mj6252]

10in iPod touch

if with anything I can imagine a bigger iPod touch, that's probably why they are launching better marketing stuff for the developer, they made a big fortune selling apps anyways (both developer and Apple)

if it's not gonna be ridiculously priced, I won't mind buying one...

 

[Bonte]

On a different note, this netbook better run a full-fledged OS (OS X) with full capabilities to load ANY 3rd party programs, have user accessible storage space, and not be dependent on a laptop/desktop for syncing if I'm going to drop over $500.

Even the Macbook Air ($1700) doesn't have these capabilities and you want it on a $500 netbook? A less expensive Air and a cheap tablet iPod would cover most areas but still won't be perfect for everybody, as always.

 

[magamo]

If Apple releases a shrunk MacBook Air, I'm sold. It would rekindle the same-thing-at-half-the-price flame war on the internet, though.

 

[The Flashing Fi]

A 10" touchscreen netbook for a price between 500-700 bucks wouldn't be bad to be honest. But if there is no touch screen and if the pricing isn't even close to that of other netbooks, then I won't even consider Apple, because the only things netbooks are good for is word processing, e-mail checking and Internet, which ANY operating system is capable of, which would make Linux a good choice.

 

[pale9]

A Apple netbook for $350-400, that's not happening for sure!

Of course, all is speculation at this point because nobody knows if this product is really coming and what features it will have. But lets just assume its around 10" and has a touch screen and some other bells and whistles.

The is NO WAY Apple can or will sell this for the price of a Ausus 1000, and why should it?

My guess it will cost between $700 and $800... Wagers anyone?

PS No touch screen would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[twoodcc]

can't wait for this! though it will be around $700-$800 though

 

[gnasher729]

Mmmmm.... good point. But for it to be worth it to me, I'd need the 3G connectivity.

In the UK, 3G connectivity via USB stick costs £30 plus pay-as-you-go fees.

 

[Goona]

How Pathetic. "we don't know how to make a netbook for 500 with out it being junk" in other words.

I can understand if you where making a full featured laptop for 500, that would be junk. But a netbook for more than 500 dollars? Get a clue Apple. we are not asking for you to shrink down a Macbook and fit it in a 10" formfactor. We are asking for a netbook, a computer to surf the internet check e-mail and do light word processing.

Dude they said they don't know how to make a 500 dollar computer, what is wrong with that, they can't make enough money off a 500 dollar computer to satisfy their margins, why don't you go tell the likes of Dell to make a 100 dollar computer and see what they tell you. Every company has the lowest price they will go to.

 

[DELLsFan]

..."[they] don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk."

Actually, they do. It's called the iPhone (a computer that happens to be able to make and receive cellular calls).

And besides, I'm quite sure Apple could sell a quality computer for far less than $500 - as long as they were willing to seriously "Think Different" about their margins, advertising, and long term market share.

Am I the only one who would really rather Cupertino stopped saying what they can't do and focus on what they can? If anyone could do this with style, it's Apple!

 

[RaZaK]

kinda excited

It would be cool to see how Uncle Stevie and the rest of the Apple team improve on the Netbook concept.

If they make it more expensive than $500, though, I don't know if they'll see the kind of ROI that will justify offering a new model.

 

[linuxophile]

....
"[they] don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk."

Article Link: More Apple Netbook Rumors Pinpoint Foxconn as Manufacturer

What do they mean? Take the ipot touch internals (250) and place it with a 10'' screen and a keyboard. use a hd instead of ssd to keep price down.
I bet they can easily make something as thin as a mba for 500$.

They are full of themselves, they just want to make it LOOK difficult.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Keep in mind that it's "us," the rumor sites, and the MSM that are calling this unannounced/unconfirmed product a "netbook." Apple has maintained that it has no intention of entering the netbook market, only that it has some ideas on how to make one "right."

IF the rumors are true I'd be willing to bet that Apple won't be calling it a netbook, and, in fact, it will probably better resemble a sub-note convertible. It will be small, lightweight, but powerful. It will be what the MBA could have, should have been in the first place.

 

[pcorajr]

Why the hell are people so asphyxiated on this touch screen ****? Touch works great on devices like the iphone and MAYBE a tablet. But so far the market for tables is very small and targeted at Design and Health providers. Touch Screens are good for fastfood restaurants. The Netbook market is booming and has more potential for profit making.

 

[skate71290]

MacTablet

i would love a 8-10 inch MacTouch/Tablet style thingy with a full operating system... a company does something similar to this (forgot the name) where you trade in ur current macbook/pro and receive a touch screen laptop, its only in America, and its still not Apple, would be great to see glass screen front (like iphone or new unibody macbooks and a black imac style backing to it with ports of the side (minimum like usb, display adaptor, charger, possible disc drive?) cant wait for WWDC so much new stuff apparently coming out

 

[Chupa Chupa]

What do they mean? Take the ipot touch

Oh boy. Freudian slip?

 

[gnasher729]

As you point out, this was a very arrogant thing for Apple to say on many levels.

Apple is arrogant. If Apple wasn't arrogant, they would be a tiny seller of me-too PCs or more likely, they would be out of business altogether.

There is no such thing as a netbook that is "junk".

Spelling check: You wrote "is junk" when you meant "isn't junk".

What they should have said it that they could not produce a quality netbook with their current expected profit margin. And if they can't do that, well learn or your just showing you unwillingness to change (not unlike GM).

Apple has a different notion of "quality" then you seem to have (see point 1). I think Apple would be quite capable of building a netbook that isn't worse than everybody else's for a tiny bit of profit. But why would they? There are markets that you better just stay out of. What you call "netbooks" is a market that Apple doesn't want to join. They will create their own market if they can, and they won't if they can't, but Apple will never follow.

Why the hell are people so asphyxiated on this touch screen ****? Touch works great on devices like the iphone and MAYBE a tablet. But so far the market for tables is very small and targeted at Design and healt providers. Touch Screens are good for fastfood restaurants. The Netbook market is booming and has more potential for profit making.

The market for portable music players was very small when Apple entered it. Such a market has huge potential for profit. The netbook market is full of competitors all aiming at the lowest possible price. There is nobody in that market making a decent profit.

 

[polaris20]

".... run in the $400-$600 range"

This is not necessarily true, most netbooks are $200-400, making it a very difficult task for Apple to match.

The cheapest netbook I could find that wasn't a refurb or open box was an Asus with a nearly useless 12GB SSD drive for $280.

 

[linuxophile]

Oh boy. Freudian slip?

LOL!
I wrote that!

Ah.

The iPotty Touch....

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Why the hell are people so asphyxiated on this touch screen ****? Touch works great on devices like the iphone and MAYBE a tablet. But so far the market for tables is very small and targeted at Design and healt providers. Touch Screens are good for fastfood restaurants. The Netbook market is booming and has more potential for profit making.

Yes, but the teeny tiny trackpads on netbooks/sub-notes are nearly useless unless you have ant leg sized fingers. A touch pad would be a huge boost to i/o productivity in this case, especially when traveling where the extra weight/clutter of a mouse defeats the purpose of a netbook.

 

[uaecasher]

why don't they make a low spec computer? I mean it's telling the customer that this is a computer that can't do heavy load, + if HP computer can run vista i think then it should run os x just fine as it need less resources spicily with snow leopard coming