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More Sources Point to a Touchscreen Apple Netbook in 2009

It would have to be under $500.00. THat is the whole selling point for most consumers. APple knows this. Why would anyone dish out $1000 + for a netbook when you can pick up a dell for $250.00

I love macs too but even Im not that foolish. I doubt most consumers are, esp. in this economy LoL
 
If it's a tablet with virtual keyboard, it will be difficult to type. I don't want to lay it down flat like a keyboard should be and have the screen also be flat and I have to look straight down. It's too big to hold and type. Unless they want us to hold it in one hand and type with one finger with the other, like the iPhone.

With the keyboard up, there's too little screen left. And when you want to watch a video and set it down, you'd have to deploy a stand from the back. I rather have a "clamshell" with a real keyboard...

Would they have a clamshell AND a virtual keyboard/multi touch track pad???
 
Lesser Evets said:
Last night before the word of the 10" screen, I thought it might be as big as 13" and could possibly be docked on a computer (mini) and used as a monitor. However, with a 10" screen, I doubt it will be like that. The dock might park it so it sits at an angle where the user can link with a keyboard and use it as a desktop type computer.

Somehow my gut feeling says it will just be a large iPod Touch with a little extra power. Hopes + Apple = constant disappointment.
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I think a 10" screen is the right size, given the Paton. It's supposed to have an extra HD, extra graphics and maybe an extra processor. Most of that can be in the chin of an iMac screen. IT could just slide into the screen.
 
ok there are a few things that occur to me. there is no way apple is making a product that would fit the netbook category. netbooks are the exact opposite of what apple is all about, which is providing premium products and moreso a premium experience with those products. a netbook is underpowered and simply cant do a lot of what people try to use it for. also, its apple. theyre not going to just follow the netbook trend, theyre going to try and redefine it. so theyre going to make a product that has features and capabilities that will warrant an extra few hundred dollars compared to a conventional netbook

and as far as the product itself, apple has been in works on developing a dual core ARM processor for a little while now. it seems obvious that this is the kind of device that would be perfect for that, not any intel processor. also, such a device would most likely not come out until snow leopard. the new OS is being made specifically to reduce memory usage and to get more power out of less hardware. so it could get by with a less powerful processor and 1-2 gb of ram. if its going to be a portable device its not going to have a moving hdd, so 32-64 gb ssd maybe up to 128 for the preemie model. and most likely $600-800
 
zub3qin said:
MacTouch
$899
WILL have keyboard, but can be used as a tablet with touch keyboard.
1.8 GHz, 1Mb RAM

Limited power/memory will prevent it from competing with Macbooks.

OH- and there will be a "new" feature unique to it that no other Apple product has.... further enticing current iMac/Macbook customers to want to buy it.
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Gosh I hope so... If they market it to students like me (which is how they usually do market things), I think they would pull it off nicely.

As for competing with the Macbook air, they could just drop the price on it, or get rid of it all together and offer a similar ‘netbook’ style. Not to say they will drop the product, but they have a lot of options. It’s not like they have to keep the original MBA forever
 
whirlpool said:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have a PHYSICAL Keyboard

the worst thing apple can do is to not have a physical keyboard
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I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe if it were a slide-out keyboard or something... but little tiny keys are just so hard to type on.
 
Being realistic, I'm setting aside $1,000 bucks for whatever this is... I want something that I can use on the go for basic stuff and use while sitting on the couch... I don't want to buy a macbook air for that because of the price but for $1,000 it might be something I could justify.
I think this is also going to be the first Apple product since I've joined the forums that I'll try and not read the forum comments about until I actually see something and form my own opinion... after reading through all of the complaints about the macbook air (rev 1 and 2) I can only imagine the complaints that will come out if Apple releases their version of netbook.
 
A little smaller, and a detachable keyboard

I'm predicting a 7.75" screen and a detachable - or no - keyboard. But Bluetooth keyboards and mice would be supported. I think a separate keyboard that serves as a cover would be available, making a clamshell with detachable keyboard.

I believe the screen will be multitouch and aside from accepting a finger would also accept a stylus, and interpret handwriting using Mac OS X Ink technology. My full vision for the what I call the NetPad is here in this blog article.

I also like the idea of being able to sit this device on a desktop easel-dock which uses induction for charging and data transfer.
 
So...here's a question.

Why?

What purpose is this device going to serve? How would you use a netbook/touch tablet?

Despite what most people believe, Apple doesn't exactly create new markets for products. They find an existing market, and create a far superior product. Neither the iPod or the iPhone was the first to market in their respective market segments.

So what is the current market for netbooks? Cheap? Sub-$500? Would Apple really sell a device larger than an iPhone and use the same price point?

Is there an existing consumer market for tablets?

I'm just not entirely convinced this device is what anyone thinks it is.
 
*goes into Steve Jobs mode*

If an Apple netbook is released:

It will come in one size - a dimension Apple has determined is best for their OS and its features. Likely 10".

It will be priced between $600 - $900 - more than a Dell Mini but less than a Macbook.

It will feature an ARM processor for power and portability.

It will have a webcam.

It will not be touchscreen, but will offer intuitive new interface features (via hardware and software) that make using a smaller screen easier.
 
aeaglex07 said:
It would have to be under $500.00. THat is the whole selling point for most consumers. APple knows this. Why would anyone dish out $1000 + for a netbook when you can pick up a dell for $250.00

I love macs too but even Im not that foolish. I doubt most consumers are, esp. in this economy LoL
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The computer would have to suck and have terrible components to get it down to that price. That's why a Dell costs less -- because even though the price is attractive, the hardware isn't. So people are disappointed after they buy it once they realize how slow it is.
 
8CoreWhore said:
If it's a tablet with virtual keyboard, it will be difficult to type. I don't want to lay it down flat like a keyboard should be and have the screen also be flat and I have to look straight down. It's too big to hold and type. Unless they want us to hold it in one hand and type with one finger with the other, like the iPhone.

With the keyboard up, there's too little screen left. And when you want to watch a video and set it down, you'd have to deploy a stand from the back. I rather have a "clamshell" with a real keyboard...

Would they have a clamshell AND a virtual keyboard/multi touch track pad???
Click to expand...

I have a 17" MBP and I can type on it while holding it with one hand, but it is pretty awkward. It's a shame we see in the vertical plane and use or hands in more of a horizontal plane. Having the screen & keyboard on the same plane will be tough. I really hope it comes w/ a stylus. that might make it easier to write with. If it's a tablet, I also hope it comes with camera on both the front & back. That way, I can do videos w/ it and hopefully someone will create a barcode scanning feature to it. There's a program I'm used a little called Books (books.aetherial.net) that lets you show the book's ISBN barcode to your iSight & it scans it. Pretty cool.
 
ziggyonice said:
The computer would have to suck and have terrible components to get it down to that price. That's why a Dell costs less -- because even though the price is attractive, the hardware isn't. So people are disappointed after they buy it once they realize how slow it is.
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Not so true.

Nvidia Ion
16gb SSD
BlueTooth + WiFi
No Optical Drive
2 USB
10" Touch Screen.

Done. You'll look at what... $400 to produce (High-Balling it) and $600 to sell?
 
So a lot of MBA's target audience (which included myself as I was one of the first to recieve their's REV1.1 in Ireland) are people using the machine as a secondary laptop or desktop - who are doing little more with their machines other than word processing, basic editing, web browsing and email. People who need a highly portable, light efficient laptop.

I liked the MBA - but after a while it began to grate on me. Battery charge times were always excruciating for me. Battery discharge was a problem and it had to be replaced which meant sending my machine across to the other side of the country and waiting 3 weeks for it to come back. Heat dispensation, and general youtube / flash unfriendliness also dampened the squib. Eventually I decided to sell it on, and for the first time I found it difficult to sell a piece of Apple kit, it was a really hard sell and resale value was poor compared to any other Apple hardware I've ever bought over the last 15 years.

Eventually I traded it for a 24" iMac and I have no regrets. I then bought a netbook - which despite not running osX - it did everything the MBA air did for me.


--

An Apple Netbook which may be 'more portable' than a MBA, light, great battery life and a touch screen, full OSX experience and a sub Macbook price (let alone MBA) sounds to me like Nirvana on a stick, but........ that has got to hurt MBA sales.

Even if it not as powerful as the MBA, people generally are not buying the MBA for heavy processor intensive operations anyway.

Whilst I would certainly buy an Apple Netbook, I do think it's going to make the MBA look really out of place in the grand scheme of Apple hardware.

We all wait with baited breath......

and for now I'll have to make do with a HP2140 for my aluminum netbook experience :)
 
I doubt this device if true will run Mac OSX Leopard, I think it will run Iphone OS with extra Bells and Wistles
 

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barkmonster said:
let's hope it's not atom based before we get too excited! :D

I think if apple can make a sub £500 touch sensitive laptop with at least a 64Gb SSD that's got something along the lines of 2Ghz Core 2 Duo or equivalent low powered Core i7 processor, a decent amount of RAM, shared video or not, it would be an excellent little system and just as good value as the entry level white iBook. Mini USB 2.0 connectors, firewire 800
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Have you ever used an Atom processor before?

While I agree that a C2D or i7 processor would be amazing, the Atom is really a very capable processor for its intended purpose!

I run OSX on one of my Dell Mini's (1.6Ghz Atom, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD). The OS is very snappy and it has no problems running and multitasking web/email/office/itunes/iphoto applications.

Having used multiple brand netbooks, the SSD in the Dell really made the most noticeable difference in the feel and usability of the system. Pairing the Atom with the right hardware (namely an SSD) is extremely important. Were Apple to produce something with the current flavor of Atom, 2GB RAM, 64+GB SSD, OSX, good usability (smart use of touchscreen or a well designed keyboard) and a reasonable price, I think they would still have something good. Unfortunately, I can see (here at least) a lot of people would still expect more out of it than it was designed for and complain it doesn't have the power to run applications as well as their loaded MacPro does! :rolleyes:
 
fleshman03 said:
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd that is where they loose me as a tablet customer. I do not want to give ATT $60/month for 3g data. Cr@p, my internet at home only costs me $40/month.
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I agree! But I have a pretty good feeling that this is what is coming. I think the iPhone sales model will be the key to making a nice "netbook" that is reasonably priced (for an Apple product) but with decent specs.

Also, 500 posts! Woo!
 
Halon X said:
Have you ever used an Atom processor before?

While I agree that a C2D or i7 processor would be amazing, the Atom is really a very capable processor for its intended purpose!

I run OSX on one of my Dell Mini's (1.6Ghz Atom, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD). The OS is very snappy and it has no problems running and multitasking web/email/office/itunes/iphoto applications.

Having used multiple brand netbooks, the SSD in the Dell really made the most noticeable difference in the feel and usability of the system. Pairing the Atom with the right hardware (namely an SSD) is extremely important. Were Apple to produce something with the current flavor of Atom, 2GB RAM, 64+GB SSD, OSX, good usability (smart use of touchscreen or a well designed keyboard) and a reasonable price, I think they would still have something good. Unfortunately, I can see (here at least) a lot of people would still expect more out of it than it was designed for and complain it doesn't have the power to run applications as well as their loaded MacPro does! :rolleyes:
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lol. i7 in a <1" device.... Talk about heat.

Overall though, I agree with your point. a 1.6 atom processor would be great for the device. Don't forget, the iPhone uses <500 MhZ and 128mb Ram.
 
I really don't see why netbooks are so popular. They aren't that much more portable than a laptop, have poor battery performance, and can't do much anyway except internet and email. Heck, my iphone does that now and more with 3G connectivity.

IMHO, the iphone is the ultimate netbook. Sure the screen is small and the keys are virtual, but a netbook doesn't provide much more benefit in this regard. The iPhone is ultra portable, does email, surfs the web, pictures, video, music, messaging, etc., etc., plus with the itunes and app store, it can do a whole lot more than any netbook could (I love my radio app on the iphone!!!). Wifi only netbooks are limited in their use, while a 3g connected iPhone is connected everywhere, all the time (mostly). A netbook without a wifi connection is pretty limited. I do admit that the iPHone needs copy and paste and a few other tweaks to make it truly great; nothing that software can't fix.

Eventually, people will want more performance out of their netbooks. This is what a laptop is for.

Apple already has a netbook, in fact they have 2. It's called the iPhone and iPod Touch.
 
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