More Sources Point to a Touchscreen Apple Netbook in 2009

[rohela]

It is way to enable real multi touch while tethered to hosts

Clearly Apple is moving into multitouch interfaces. Trackpads are too small for the wide variety of gestures that can change the way we interact with computers. Vertical screens are not easily accessible for gestures, and gesturing blocks your view.

A 10" touch device is a good standalone computer, although limited, but it is a great device for hooking to existing Apple computers and enabling a rich vocabulary of gestures.

Buy the touch and you get both a very portable computer and an trackpad that transforms what it means to interact with a computer. Now imagine that Apple can use the built in computing and display capacity of the touch to constantly change the interface on which you make your gestures.

This is a machine worthy of a premium price because it deserves to be called a disruptive technology that changes the personal computing paradigm.

Whether we see the full implementation in the initial device or it gradually unfolds depends on if the marketing department thinks this economy can support innovation that is so strong that everyone will change their hardware.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Pricing... Well a 10" netbook can run $600. With this being from Apple, I'll venture $750, but not more.

$750 but not more? Now, come on. This is Apple. $799 for even a 10" iPT would be expected, but we are talking something greater than an iPT. The AIR is 13" and costs $2200+. Halve that if this thing is low end notebook-as-tablet.

The drive is probably dependent on a lot of design functions. If they want a small laptop it'll be bigger. If they want a large iPT it will be smaller. That's my reasoning.

I'm also sure it'll be priced with the utmost stupidity in mind. Which is a shame, because something like this would replace my poor old PowerBook very well for just surfing the net/other low power crap.

That's my thought. I haven't had a new laptop since 2004.
If this is a trimmed down laptop-as-tablet I would be ecstatic even at $1099...

If this is a tiny notebook I will vomit in an envelope and mail it to Steve Jobs. With love.

 

[The Samurai]

Apple don't do cheap. I'd be interested in an Apple notebook, but not at sky high prices. The only really cheap solution they provide is the shuffle and it's the bare minimum of an mp3 player. Having said that, the ipod isn't that extortionately priced. if it's more than £450 then i'd overlook it for something cheaper.

Meh, they say a lot of things - for example, "we won't compete in this low cost market". If these rumors are true, well... thats all credibility lost.

 

[GQB]

$499 or less and I am def there. .

Dream on.
Min of $999.

 

[eastercat]

Apple isn't going to release a sub-$500 netbook--not without requiring a 2 year, $30-$60/month contract. Anyone with hopes that they'll allow free 3G tethering for the device is more naive than I thought.

A multi-touch screen tablet wouldn't be bad at all. If it had a virtual keyboard, a decent (not too fast, not too slow) processor, iPhone OS, a USB port (or 2), headphone jack, Wi Fi, DVD player/burner, monitor connection and 6 hour battery, this'd be a very nice computer. The 10" screen means that it'd be perfect for toting around on a regular basis. However, I can't picture Apple charging less than $1000.

Although it's unrealistic and naive, I do hope the price is sub-$1000. However, I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

[champ01]

Intel Core 2 Duo based
32 GB SSD
2GB ram or more
USB
10" 1280x800
full OS X
physical keyboard
all standard apps
G3 wifi via AT&T built in
$899

but that won't happen because it's too close to a MBA and I'm not sure it could be done for $899

I think more like:

32GB to 64GB and not SSD
1GB RAM should be enough
USB and maybe a display port
10 inch would be perfect
Not fully OSX more like a ipod touch type of interface
No physical keyboard (its not a laptop)
Wifi & G3 wireless connections
price: easily 900,- dollars

 

[gmcalpin]

Has to be a bigger iPhone and not a "book" computer... that's my prediction. A virtual KB just like the iPhone.

With optional Bluetooth/USB keyboard for extended typin'?

Meh, they say a lot of things - for example, "we won't compete in this low cost market". If these rumors are true, well... thats all credibility lost.

The operative (and credibility-preserving) word is "low cost." They're not going to put out a hunk of junk. They're going to do something as different and better as the iPod was from all the other MP3 players — or, if not straight out of the gate, at least within a few versions. (I didn't like the iPod until the 3rd gen or so.)

I think $800 is a more reasonable price point. This is will be smaller and less powerful than their cheapest MacBook; it can't be more than $1000. Somewhere between the faster Mac Mini model and the cheapest MacBook.

If it's not using the full OS, it doesn't really need 32GB, does it? 16GB (SSD for additional speed) will be fine in the base model.

I don't see an optical drive of any kind (you could either wireless transfer files or use a dock to your real computer) or G3 (or cell phone anything) capabilities in this, either. I don't see it as a desktop or laptop replacement by any means. It'll be an oversized iPod Touch, essentially.

 

[fleshman03]

$750 but not more? Now, come on. This is Apple. $799 for even a 10" iPT would be expected, but we are talking something greater than an iPT. The AIR is 13" and costs $2200+. Halve that if this thing is low end notebook-as-tablet.

The drive is probably dependent on a lot of design functions. If they want a small laptop it'll be bigger. If they want a large iPT it will be smaller. That's my reasoning.

That's my thought. I haven't had a new laptop since 2004.
If this is a trimmed down laptop-as-tablet I would be ecstatic even at $1099...

If this is a tiny notebook I will vomit in an envelope and mail it to Steve Jobs. With love.

Seriously, can I have your job? I'd love to be able to spend 1,100+ dollars on hardware that should cost <500.

We're not talking about something that is greater than an iPod Touch. We're looking at a bigger screen, more Ram and slightly more storage. But the functions are the same. Web Browsing, email and maybe some typing. Not much more power is needed. The Atom processor is perfect for that job. You don't need a DDR3 1066 MhZ FSB (All the things that make a laptop not a netbook/small tablet.) or anything like that. Just plain and simple.

No way should it cost anywhere near $1K.

 

[Bonte]

Lemme think now.......

iTouch
iTablet
iFinger ..naw
iWallet
iBook

Rich

More likely iPod Touch HD

I don't see why Apple would want to lose the extra income the Appstore provides them.

 

[cswiger1]

Notebooks were never that productive AND portable simultaneously.

i'm not trying to argue about it but ...isn't that exactly what a notebook is for? a portable computer? I'm plenty productive on my MB (word processing, pic/video editing). I see your point about needing to be sitting down to use it, but who does anything that productive while they are walking around? I just don't see much of a need for a inbetween for an iphone and a notebook unless you can drop the price on the thing a ton. its the price that makes a netbook a practical option, not the size. If you want ULTRAportable with all the same produtivity of a full scale computer, MBA is the way to go. but IMO that thing is just way too expencive. but then again, i dont NEED ULTRA portable. i just need portable. (bring my MB to the library to study, to a friends house to make video/rec music, ect)

 

[scoobydoo99]

$499 or less and I am def there.

um........NO.

the iPhone is still $599 (albiet subsidized). Yes, it is a phone, but a netbook/tablet will be much more capable of web browsing/computing, plus of course the larger screen.

i predict SLOWER speed than most are hoping for, LESS memory, and HIGHER price. once announced, it will be trashed in these forums as too expensive/underpowered, and it will sell like mad.

 

[powers74]

10"

In this economic times, they need to relax the margins on lower cost SKUs in order to move volumes. And volumes they needed like Acer moving 15M units of netbooks at the expense of full-fledged notebooks.

Apple doesn't play like that and you know it.

Do you think this could replace a Wacom tablet?

GAAH! I HOPE! I.... SO... HOPE!

It will not be touchscreen...

What? No. Of course it will.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Seriously, can I have your job? I'd love to be able to spend 1,100+ dollars on hardware that should cost <500.

No way should it cost anywhere near $1K.

You used the words that peg your error -- THAT SHOULD COST. If you go by that logic, everything Apple makes should be half priced. Then again, I would pay $1300 for a tablet computer which is like a current Apple 13" macbook with Cintiq-like capabilities. That's worth it to me: saves me $2000 on a Cintiq and costs the same as a Macbook but it ultra-portable.

If this device is just a slightly jacked up iPT I would hope it will be sub-$1000. If this device is like a slightly dumbed down MacBook I expect it is over $1000.

Apple doesn't pander to the cheap seats. Expect high prices, but expect great function and design.

i'm not trying to argue about it but ...isn't that exactly what a notebook is for? a portable computer? I'm plenty productive on my MB (word processing, pic/video editing). I see your point about needing to be sitting down to use it, but who does anything that productive while they are walking around? ... i dont NEED ULTRA portable. i just need portable.

There are people who have the need and function of the laptop because you get the keyboard which you can register to and just type like a maniac while watching the screen. I'm not slighting the use of it. But, how many people actually need that? I've used my laptop on planes, trains, and automobiles and it honestly sucks. Imagine not having to sit down or hold with one hand and type with another. It frees up a person even more and negates the clunky open-close function and space consumption. You can hug it to your chest if people get snoopy. Fingers can manipulate everything on the screen as you hold it. You can type small amounts on the screen or pull out the bluetooth keyboard for more function.

Saying YOU like a laptop and can't see where others would need that portability isn't convincing. You'll be surprised how a tablet design will be embraced by kids, commuters, lighter function computer users, travelers, workers wanting an electronic note pad, etc. I can;t walk around work and take notes on the run with a laptop as someone explains everything about functions of a large company. I have to write on a pad and transfer to the computer... take away the time to transfer and Apple just saved me precious hours on the clock over a year. productivity.

 

[Mal]

With optional Bluetooth/USB keyboard for extended typin'?

That would truly make a tablet form factor work, though of course it's only really useful for typing if you have the keyboard with you (not a problem, though, since the Apple wireless keyboard is so small, plus most people would just use it at a desk that way, or at least sitting down somewhere).

The operative (and credibility-preserving) word is "low cost." They're not going to put out a hunk of junk. They're going to do something as different and better as the iPod was from all the other MP3 players — or, if not straight out of the gate, at least within a few versions. (I didn't like the iPod until the 3rd gen or so.)

I think $800 is a more reasonable price point. This is will be smaller and less powerful than their cheapest MacBook; it can't be more than $1000. Somewhere between the faster Mac Mini model and the cheapest MacBook.

If it's not using the full OS, it doesn't really need 32GB, does it? 16GB (SSD for additional speed) will be fine in the base model.

I don't see an optical drive of any kind (you could either wireless transfer files or use a dock to your real computer) or G3 (or cell phone anything) capabilities in this, either. I don't see it as a desktop or laptop replacement by any means. It'll be an oversized iPod Touch, essentially.

$800 sounds reasonable if they go for low-end specs (not junk, just on Apple's low-end). I can see them using a 32GB drive, but probably not smaller (SSD is a sure bet though, assuming this happens at all). I could go either way on the data package. I think it's more likely they'd provide a USB port in part because you could then use a 3G adaptor.

jW

 

[GeekLawyer]

Apple doesn't pander to the cheap seats. Expect high prices, but expect great function and design.

Well said. If Apple's building something in this class, it's not to compete with Asus and Dell. It's to create a new market and drive high-margin sales. Same as it ever was...

 

[Zephirus]

If it has touchscreen and accelerometer, I bet compatibility with app store. Would be quite a hit to play all those games on 9-10 inch screens. + with the rumours about some 20$+ games on the store... I dont think i'd pay 20$ to play Need for speed on the iphone, but maybe I'd pay to play on a apple Touchbook, iTouch, or Mac'n'touch

 

[powers74]

Vomit

If this is a tiny notebook I will vomit in an envelope and mail it to Steve Jobs. With love.

My sentiments precisely.

 

[ddTaylor]

Intel Core 2 Duo based
32 GB SSD
2GB ram or more
USB
10" 1280x800
full OS X
physical keyboard
all standard apps
G3 wifi via AT&T built in
$899

but that won't happen because it's too close to a MBA and I'm not sure it could be done for $899

It most certainly COULD be done for $899 (or less) and I would be in line for one but this IS Apple so if anyone is expecting a sub $1000 notebook, tablet, netbook - guess again.

D

 

[canyonblue737]

A large touchscreen iPod Touch like device WILL BE A FAILURE.

1. If I want a limited selection of software / capability I carry my iPhone (or some carry their iPod touch). For quick browsing, checking email, and writing some short emails it is excellent.

2. If I want to carry a LARGER device but not want to carry a laptop the size of a Macbook (this is my current situation, I want something SMALLER than my Macbook, but more capable than my iPhone) then I need something that is the size of a netbook but runs Mac OS X, the REAL, FULL, version of OS X. Why?...

3. I need... Firefox, Shockwave, Flash, the ability to run OS X apps for my job, etc. These are not supported in the iPhone/iPod Touch OS X version. If you give me a 10 inch screen but no real OS X what am I really getting? A bigger version of my iPhone which I already have and fits in my pocket!

This new netbook from Apple better be a true laptop. I am more than happy to pay a substantial premium over PC netbooks for Apple elegance, build quality, features like a touch screen etc. but if you hobble the solution by creating a product that isn't truly a Mac then you won't get my money. I am a Macbook user who wants a smaller computer (in every dimension, not just the thinness of a Macbook Air) that does full up browsing, email and can run the occasional basic OS X application when I need it. I don't need to run power apps like Aperture, Photoshop etc. on this small computer, but that doesn't mean I can be limited to iPhone OS like apps.

I hope Apple gets it right, PC netbooks in 2007 = 1 million, 2008 = 14 million, 2009 = 40 million estimated.

 

[BTW]

Has to be a bigger iPhone and not a "book" computer... that's my prediction. A virtual KB just like the iPhone.

Close, but not quite. The keyboard will be virtualized on a glide pad with the print out of the keys on it. The ability to switch from keyboard to glide pad will be quick and seemless.

It won't be a book like the Kindle but will be as thin (maybe thinner) than the Macbook Air. No ports or optical drive. Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. LED screen and 32Gb or 64Gb flash RAM (i.e. no hard disk).

 

[fleshman03]

You used the words that peg your error -- THAT SHOULD COST. If you go by that logic, everything Apple makes should be half priced. Then again, I would pay $1300 for a tablet computer which is like a current Apple 13" macbook with Cintiq-like capabilities. That's worth it to me: saves me $2000 on a Cintiq and costs the same as a Macbook but it ultra-portable.

If this device is just a slightly jacked up iPT I would hope it will be sub-$1000. If this device is like a slightly dumbed down MacBook I expect it is over $1000.

Apple doesn't pander to the cheap seats. Expect high prices, but expect great function and design.

ok. I won't pay $1k for $500 hardware. Period. I might be sitting this product out.

The Low end MB costs $1k. With half the specs, it will be less than that. I'm figuring $700-$800.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Well said. If Apple's building something in this class, it's not to compete with Asus and Dell. It's to create a new market and drive high-margin sales. Same as it ever was...

Thank you. That's obviously how Apple functions.

Other companies try to budge in with the other piggies and suck a teat.
Apple side steps and builds its own personal sow and gets a good suck before the other piggies rush over. Usually.

ok. I won't pay $1k for $500 hardware. Period. I might be sitting this product out.

The Low end MB costs $1k. With half the specs, it will be less than that. I'm figuring $700-$800.

But you seem to be negating the existence of the AIR. That has less expandability and ports than a $999 Macbook and it is well over twice the price. Look at the whole picture.

You'll be hard tempted to sit it out if the product is good enough. I know I'll be.

 

[MacVixen]

um........NO.

<snip>

i predict SLOWER speed than most are hoping for, LESS memory, and HIGHER price. once announced, it will be trashed in these forums as too expensive/underpowered, and it will sell like mad.

You speak truth scoobydoo. Truth, indeed.

 

[Red-red]

I think it could work quite well without a physical keyboard.

The only problem I think that would arise is how do you hold it?

It's not like when you hold a phone you can use your fingers to hold it and your thumbs for input. It needs some were to rest unless you are either straight over it on a flat surface, rest it on your knee's or hold it with one hand but then that will take a lot away from the multi touch experience that you would get with two hands.

 

[ddTaylor]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have a PHYSICAL Keyboard

the worst thing apple can do is to not have a physical keyboard

I will try and mock-up my ideas - I think a small keyboard that slides into the back of the computer and a small pop-out stand for use when at a desk. It could be done where both the keyboard and stand are NOT visible when they are folded in. It would fulfill the tablet/touch market as it would default to a virtual keyboard when the physical keyboard it folded in. I hope it is something like this and even at the egregiously over-priced Apple cost I WOULD buy one. It SHOULD have 3G, WiFi, GPS and a SSD drive (32GB) with the ability for extra storage, video out (even via a dongle) and a REAL keyboard. This would be my daily driver given the fact I rarely do anything more intensive than e-mail, documents, .PDF's and my on-line store (that is how I make my money - even in this economy USED gear is selling faster than EVER).

I know Apple could figure out a way to make a real keyboard fit with the design factors they follow. I hope...

D