Steve Jobs Also Overseeing Apple Tablet or Netbook Device?

[Evangelion]

Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone.

Whenever I see someone make that claim, I think to myself "On what planet are those people living on?".

Netbooks are fully functional computers that run full-blown OS'es. Smartphones do not. Have you ever tried to do any word-processing on a phone? have you tried running spreadsheets? Have you tried doing anything that resembles data-entry? Have you tried plugging USB-stick to a phone? Have you tried doing image-manipulation on a phone? Hell, have you tried opening URL's in new tabs in iPhone? I bet your answer to all of those is a big fat "no".

Netbooks can run any apps that you can run on a normal computer, smartphones can not. Hell, you could do 3D-rendering on a netbook if you wanted to! To claim that "iPhone can do anything a netbook can do" is 100% false.

 

[o0samotech0o]

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.

What you may of not meant but came across, was there is a gap in the Market. Apple reinvented the phone, if they release a netbook you can gaurentee people may become more interested in them. I personally think, that if u are traveling you probably should use an iphone, which is a netbook with a small screen. Apple just needs to big up the iPhone by an inch or so.

 

[Evangelion]

I thought Apple already had a netbook. You know, something called the MacBook Air.

Macbook Air is too big and too expensive to be considered a netbook. It could be considered a subnotebook.

 

[B U G E Y E]

I think it will be a netbook-type device that runs OS X but also runs iPhone apps. Like the iPhone simulator, the touch apps could hang out like widgets on your screen and you could switch freely between touch and traditional input. Glass touch screen. Yes, it will get cruddy but that's why they include a deluxe shammy in the box.

But a real keyboard, I think. A full-sized virtual keyboard strikes me as only marginally more useful than a miniature one.

$799.

 

[Evangelion]

...and what if Verizon were to market this one, not AT&T?

Why would Apple piss off their exisitng partner and wed themselves to an operator that uses CDMA as opposed to GSM? If they used Verizon, they would have to make a separate version for all those 3G-using countries, since CDMA is not used anywhere (when compared to GSM at least).

 

[yegon]

I'm still a skeptic. Apple would be competing in a market of:

• Bigger than can fit in your pocket
• Extremely low price point

Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone. The screen size is a plus over the iPhone, at the expense of having a device that isn't nearly as portable.

I agree with these points, bar the last one;

"Netbooks achieve, in a larger form factor, nothing more than an iPhone or other modern smartphone."

I love my iPhone, but in no way does it serve the same purpose as a small laptop/netbook. Shares some purposes certainly, but an iPhone falls waaaay behind in terms of productivity.

edit: I missed Evangelion's post, totally agree.

I just don't ever see people walking around with netbooks or tablets. I don't know anyone who owns one nor do I ever hear people discussing a need for them. IMO, this whole market segment is more overblown and more loaded with artificial hype than a Van Halen reunion tour.

In contrast, I see loads of people with netbooks, on buses, trains, coffee shops, sitting on benches, every single one with a dongle jabbing out of the side (err, bar the newer ones with a WWAN slot . I know a lot of people who've bought them for their daughters/wives, who otherwise would never have bothered having their own computer.

The market is there, this is fact.

 

[MacFly123]

I say "crippled" because the actual hardware is capable of much, much more than firmware 2.2.1 allows. Only a fool would deny that.

Yes, mobile OS is revolutionary...for a cellphone. It would be laughable in a netbook.

Would you want a netbook that couldn't download files from Safari, could only install certain Apple-approved apps, didn't have file manager?

Apple just added a couple things with iPhone OS 3.0 ya know lol! And yes those missing things you mention that would be needed might just be on their way with the debut of such a product as the tablet.

Give it a little time, a phone isn't going to be a full on desktop or laptop computer over night. But if ANYONE is paving the future for that direction it is Apple!

 

[grapemac]

I'm sure this must have been said before, but if Apple were so adamant that they had no interest in the netbook market (instead of saying "perhaps, in the future"), is it likely this smaller device will be the new MacBook Air?

 

[teohyc]

Didn't apple say they weren't interested in the netbook segment? since no one seems to care I'll go ahead and say 'bout time... Everyone else has one and they seem to be popular. I really liked the MacBook Mini hoax on april fools day, looked pretty legit. I'd guess $500 for an apple netbook.

I remember Steve Jobs saying that no one wants to watch video on their iPod also, but we have video today.

Anything's possible.

 

[bobjob186]

this is not a very good idea. No one is going to pay 699-799 for something with an atom chip in it and a 10" screen. I mean yes, a lot of apple lovers are going to buy one, but the market is soo saturated with quality netbooks for soo much cheaper the extra money will not justify running os x, especially if all you're doing is checking email and surfing the net.

I think apple should stay away and work on making a mid level user based tower. Drop the price of the mini 100 bucks, and give me a user upgradeable Mac Tower, for 1000 bucks and I'm there.

If indeed Apple does make a netbook I have no doubt it's going to revolutionary. If I was michael dell right now, i'd be working on making a sleek $300 stacked netbook that can easily be hacked to run OS X. He'll sell more macs* than apple will.

 

[eppel]

game focused

Apples app store has been largely succesful in the games category. $pple sees that. They are positioning the ipod touch more and more as a gaming device. Where would a larger screen come in handy? gaming. With the extra plus of internet, mail and such. With more powerful processing and graphics than the iphone this would make an interesting move into the gaming market by apple.

 

[allmIne]

Look. Apple. I understand the Netbook market is exploading - I'm even considering a Win XP machine right now. The point is, we pay around £250 for one in the UK. If Apple were to make one, they'd charge around £500. It would only be successful with a percentage of the already existing mac fan base. I.e. A very small market.

If you can't make it £300 - don't bother.

Excellent post mate. You've absolutely hit the nail on the head here.

 

[Bonte]

If an iPhone, unsubsidized, runs $499, you can bet this is going to be in the $799 range, which is a good chunk of change.

The iPod Touch is $229 unsubsidized, a small touch based tablet at $499 is certainly a possibility. Just don't expect it run full osX, appstore only.

 

[windels]

Apples app store has been largely succesful in the games category. $pple sees that. They are positioning the ipod touch more and more as a gaming device. Where would a larger screen come in handy? gaming. With the extra plus of internet, mail and such. With more powerful processing and graphics than the iphone this would make an interesting move into the gaming market by apple.

BINGO

well, IMO

 

[BenEndeem]

Perhaps some sort of gaming and multimedia device? The handheld gaming market currently has the DS: two small screens, one being touchscreen and the PSP: one relatively large or at least wide screen, so they would be still coming up with something new if they had a relatively large touchscreen. Games are certainly top sellers in the App Store and people have speculated about it before. Obviously I'm not going to say it with any certainty.

I don't see Apple making a conventional netbook, but a 'premium' netbook, who knows.

 

[scottness]

Make it do a LOT more than my iphone and sell it for $500. I'll buy it. After I somehow convince my wife she needs it...

 

[Evangelion]

I'm sure this must have been said before, but if Apple were so adamant that they had no interest in the netbook market (instead of saying "perhaps, in the future"), is it likely this smaller device will be the new MacBook Air?

You failed to notice the language they used. First they said that netbooks in general suck. A bit later they said that current netbooks suck. The change in language can be intrepeted so that in the first case Apple has no desire to enter netbook-market. The latter can be intrepeted so that they plan to enter it, but with a different kind of product.

And like it was said, Steve Jobs dissed the idea of portable media-players, and a bit later we got the video-iPod. And the language was similar. First he dissed the entire idea. Then he stopped dissing the idea and he moved to dissing the existing products. Just like they are doing with netbooks.

 

[yegon]

I'm no fan of the MBA but I'd buy one in a heartbeat if there was a 10" model, irregardless of price. That's unlikely to happen though, so in the long term I'd seriously consider a Vaio P once they've beefed up the specs to a 2ghz Atom, 2gb RAM, 128gb SSD and Windows 7 is standard.

 

[scottness]

And like it was said, Steve Jobs dissed the idea of portable media-players, and a bit later we got the video-iPod. And the language was similar. First he dissed the entire idea. Then he stopped dissing the idea and he moved to dissing the existing products. Just like they are doing with netbooks.

Interesting bit of history. Let's see where this takes us... I'm excited to see what will come of it.

 

[Marx55]

Apple iTablet to be a hit if it has:

- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). For full blown Keynote and PowerPoint videoprojector presentations from NATIVE files (no conversion required) with animations, transitions, etc. The same experience as when doing it from a laptop.

- Light (400 or less), handheld and pocketable. The device is not to work on it, but for the presentations. Because even the MacBook Air is too large and heavy for us. Just make the presentation on your computer, move it to the iTablet and carry it in your pocket to the classroom, scientific meeting, corporate meeting, any meeting with family and friends, etc. See OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

- VGA-out for the wired videoprojector (most videoprojectors are not wireless), Firewire, Ethernet and at least two USB2 ports for wireless remote control presentations with Keyspan Presentation Remote (now part of Tripp Lite as Keyspan-by-Tripp Lite Presentation Remote Control):
http://www.keyspan.com
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/lp/keyspan
http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=517&EID=13372

The idea is something similar to Impatica ShowMate, but using the much better Mac OS X inside a handheld pocketable iTablet:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

Actually, this (first picture) would be awesome:
Next Apple moves will be Books and Games…
http://spidouz.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/next-apple-moves-will-be-books-and-games

Can Apple deliver? We need thousands for our University. The price is not a problem.

 

[scottness]

Apple iTablet to be a hit if it has:

- Full Mac OS X inside (not the limited OS X found on iPhone or iPod touch). For full blown Keynote and PowerPoint videoprojector presentations from NATIVE files (no conversion required) with animations, transitions, etc. The same experience as when doing it from a laptop.

- Light (400 or less), handheld and pocketable. The device is not to work on it, but for the presentations. Because even the MacBook Air is too large and heavy for us. Just make the presentation on your computer, move it to the iTablet and carry it in your pocket to the classroom, scientific meeting, corporate meeting, any meeting with family and friends, etc. See OQO model 2+
http://www.oqo.com

- VGA-out for the wired videoprojector (most videoprojectors are not wireless), Firewire, Ethernet and at least two USB2 ports for wireless remote control presentations with Keyspan Presenation Remote (now part of Tripp Lite as Keyspan-by-Tripp Lite Presentation Remote Control):
http://www.keyspan.com
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/lp/keyspan
http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=517&EID=13372

The idea is something similar to Impatica ShowMate, but using the much better Mac OS X inside a handheld pocketable iTablet:
http://www.impatica.com/showmate

Actually, this (first picture) would be awesome:
Next Apple moves will be Books and Games…
http://spidouz.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/next-apple-moves-will-be-books-and-games

Can Apple deliver? We need thousands for our University. The price is not a problem.

Nice dreaming, but I don't see all of that happening. I would LOVE to see it, but I'm only hoping for half of it.

 

[swagi]

Get real....

Apples app store has been largely succesful in the games category. $pple sees that. They are positioning the ipod touch more and more as a gaming device. Where would a larger screen come in handy? gaming. With the extra plus of internet, mail and such. With more powerful processing and graphics than the iphone this would make an interesting move into the gaming market by apple.

Sorry, I don't want to sound harsh, but care to come back to reality?

Just so I don't pull numbers out of the air I checked some high profile games and their retail price:
Metal Gear Solid Touch - 4.99$
Silent Hill - The Escape - 4.99$
Sim City - 4.99$

Honestly the gaming industry could care less, as the price of iPod/iPhone games is so deflated, they are not worth it. The price of typical DS games is about 34.95$ on Amazon (taking the DS as example, as the DS is one hell of a success worldwide with 46 million sales in hardware).

The gaming part is just a nice hobby to sell more phones and build demand in people to upgrade their old iPods to iPod Touch. That's all, nothing more. They want to give you more upgrade incentive in a saturated market.

And the netbook discussion has been beaten to death. Netbooks are not Apple's target, as the typical netbook is a fully functional (sic!) but underspecced computer, that retails at below 500 bucks.

Just do some research. It is perfectly possible to install OS X on a MSI Wind if you care to look at these forums here. That retails for 379$. Do you really think, Apple can compete here and in the same way justify 'the Apple tax'?

 

[ppnkg]

Do you really think, Apple can compete here and in the same way justify 'the Apple tax'?

Before this gets blown totally out of control, repeat after me: there is no such thing as Apple tax. There is no such thing as Apple tax: either you buy an apple or you don't, simple as that. Nobody forces you to buy apple, nobody will send you to behind bars if you don't.


AND, conversely, there is a thing such as an 'MS tax': a tax on my nerves and sanity when IT administrators refuse anything else other than a windows machine on my work network.

 

[scottness]

Before this gets blown totally out of control, repeat after me: there is no such thing as Apple tax. There is no such thing as Apple tax: either you buy an apple or you don't, simple as that. Nobody forces you to buy apple, nobody will send you to behind bars if you don't.


AND, conversely, there is a thing such as an 'MS tax': a tax on my nerves and sanity when IT administrators refuse anything else other than a windows machine on my work network.

MS tax... lol. I've had that problem.

Right, no Apple Tax. I prefer to think I'm spending a bit more because I'm getting a bit more in software/hardware. And I ultimately spend less because I don't have to whine to the tech guy that my junk is always broke. It's worth paying a little more if it works better. Right?

 

[niuniu]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but do netbooks have 3G like a phone? Never had a netbook before.. not really sure what they do..