Apple Netbook coming in 2009?

Maybe. It will have to fight next generation Acer Aspire One's, Touchscreen EEE's, dual core Atom's, and more.

 

I hope not.

Computerworld calls the lack of a netbook a glaring omission. That wrongly assumes that Apple needs to prostrate themselves to satisfy every market. Apple has managed to makes consistent gains in market share quart over quarter all the while maintaining an average selling price nearly twice that other PC makers. I don't see how those results point to a failure on Apple's part. Given the price segment that Apple targets, the glaring omission is not a cheap notebook, but more likely a premium gaming notebook would be more consistent.

Apple has a worthwhile competitor to netbooks in the iPod Touch. What is the major use of a netbook? Seems to be internet and basic word processing and the like, and some music and movies on the side. The Touch can do 3 out of the 4 now. What Apple really needs is to release iWork Touch. The Touch's pricing is more aggressive than that of netbooks at $229-$399 compared to the $300-$500 that Computerworld defines for netbooks. Despite being lower priced, the Touch probably offers more storage space than most netbooks. It's quite possible the Touch could also offer a better gaming experience than most netbooks too.

It seems likely that the next Touch and iPhone will offer a major hardware refresh seeing that the platform is largely the same for the past 2 generations. I'm thinking dual core ARM, maybe based on Cortex, higher clocks ~600MHz, with a PowerVR SGX GPU capable of OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenCL. (Khronos members mentioning the hope to put OpenCL in iPhone and similar handheld devices). Combined with an office productivity suite and something like Wireless USB or just Bluetooth for a keyboard or mouse if need be, and I think the existing Touch/iPhone platform can be quite competitive with a netbook, while still being different.

Fighting PC makers directly with a netbook will be difficult since Apple doesn't have the volumes to fight for the best prices for components which is why Apple hasn't bothered competing for the lowest price at all costs, since frankly, they'd probably lose.

 

Personally I find that highly unlikely. Apple has never pursued the gaming crowd, and the graphics provided on Pro machines carter more to the professional endeavors such as modeling, graphics, and video editing.

I definitely agree. Apple is actively advertising the iPod touch as a capable gaming device, and a rather large portion of their App Store revolves around games developed for the iPhone and the iPod touch. The hardware you predicted sounds extremely likely, and their acquisition of the CPU developer that makes the current iPhone processor makes the possibility more viable and cost effective.

Apple has always catered to the high end crowd who were willing to pay a premium for their products. Frankly, I have no reason to believe they would change their core values for a slight economic downturn. Jobs would simply see it as a slight blip in the overall scheme of things; it is evident by the way they priced their notebooks after the refresh on October 14. Analysts were clamoring for a $899 MacBook, and Apple ignored everything and still delivered their products in the same price range. It is obvious they have no interest towards the "penny pincher" crowd; last year their Black Friday sales have involved a maximum discount of $101 on even the highest end Macintosh products.

I am not condoning or promoting their philosophy in any way. I simply find it difficult to believe the analyst who claims they are developing a low cost netbook when about a month ago Steve Jobs claimed they had no plans of the sort, and - I believe - called the netbook "junk".

 

If the netbook market gets larger (and as the economy slows, more people may consider smaller, less expensive notebooks instead of larger ones), Apple will probably get in. If it remains a small segment, I doubt they will invest a ton into it (although the MBA was an exception in that part).

 

I didn't really mean that Apple should make a premium gaming notebook. I'm just saying that doing so would fit better against their pricing structure than a netbook. Unless they can make a premium netbook. Or is that a contradiction in terms?

 

profit margins for netbooks are razor thin. i don't think we will ever see an apple netbook if only because they are not very profitable.

 

I agree with you that their profit margins are really thin, BUT millions and millions of them will be sold....people will like the idea of having a small mac to enjoy OS X without paying more for the macbook or macbook pro....I don't know Apple will do it or not but they will see millions of these things being sold even though they don't make as much profit....it's just like iPod shuffle.

 

I doubt apple will do a netbook anytime soon. I think its in the same category as a tablet, and midi-tower, often rumoured but never arriving.
I think that the ipod/iphone is apples answer to this market. And in someways I think its a better alternative. Netbooks although small still can't fit in your pocket, and there battery life tends to be poor, limiting there mobile usage.
The primary goal of netbooks is the net/email. And I think that the ipod provides just as good if not a better mobile internet experience. Not to mention that the price on an ipod is cheaper, and you get more storage space, top notch media player, game system, and expanding app ecosystem.
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I hope not. Apple seems to beat their own drums, and a netbook running a full version of OS X might cut into the macbook sales considerably. Steve in his last keynote said the white macbook was the best selling notebook, and that's why it's remaining, plus the price was lowered by $100. I just don't think Apple would want to cannibalize their macbook sales that much.
Plus, it is my opinion, that netbooks are mostly useless anyway. Underpowered, tiny screens, I don't see them being very productive. I can't imagine using OS X on a screen smaller than 13.3, I already have to shrink down the dock quite a bit to get some screen realestate.

 

Small segment? Seems like it's booming here.

In the top 10s of Germany, Austria and the Netherlands of most visited products on price comparison websites: 2 netbooks, 0 notebooks.

Edit: just found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/pc/ref=pd_ts_pc_nav

 

I don't believe Apple will join the net-book front. They have not made any indication on putting Blu-Ray in any of their Mac's. Steve likes to be a non-conformist.

 

Yes, it's quite an oxymoron.

 

Asus N10.

And, if you want an Apple netbook, go buy the MSI Wind.

 

http://cultofmac.com/analyst-apple-could-unveil-netbook-in-2009/5176

Apple could release an $800 netbook in 2009, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster told investors Tuesday. Munster is just the latest advising the Cupertino, Calif. computer maker to offer an inexpensive laptop.

Although CEO Steve Jobs has poo-poohed talk of a netbook, dismissing the growing trend as just a “nascent market,” Munster believes Apple has the perfect platform: the MacBook Air.

In a note to clients, the Apple watcher said Apple could release an 11-inch version of its MacBook Air notebook and sell the unit for between $800 to $1,000.

Monday, Apple’s share price jumped 12 percent boosted by analyst opinion that sales of MacBooks could overcome any drop in demand for Mac desktops or iPods.

In spite of talk by some, such as Bernstein Research’s Toni Sacconaghi, that Apple must introduce a lower-priced product to meet the demands of the depressed economy, Munster said Apple is selling more $1,200 aluminum MacBooks than its $999 white plastic entry models.

Munster also suggested Apple could offer a sub-$199 iPhone without 3G or GPS. As competition from RIM and others heats up in the smartphone market, Apple needs to follow its iPod strategy, offering several tiers of iPhones, the Piper Jaffray analyst wrote.

As the December fiscal quarter nears, Apple may announce the iPhone will be available in 73 countries by the end of the year with 989 million worldwide subscribers, according to Munster.